Birmingham City defender Harlee Dean has sent a message to the fans after his season was ended two weeks early.

Manager Garry Monk decided that the centre-back would go for surgery on a hamstring issue that he had been suffering with throughout the season now in order to return full fit in pre-season.

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"Thankyou for all the kind messages," Dean wrote on Twitter on Wednesday evening.

"Read every single one. Means a lot. This is a great club because you make it that way.

"Looking forward to getting back to what I was at the start of the season."

Dean has been an ever-present in the Birmingham side this season, playing in every single match so far and helping Birmingham avoid relegation.

After the Blues were slapped with a nine-point deduction back in March for breaking Financial Fair Play rules, they slipped perilously close to the relegation zone.

But a draw against Derby County and a win against Rotherham United over the Easter weekend put enough distance between themselves and the bottom three.

The verdict

Dean has been nothing short of excellent this season and considering he has been like that despite playing through the pain makes it all the more admirable.

He will be a massive part of Birmingham's side next season in what is sure to be a much more positive campaign than the current one.