Lee Bowyer has revealed that Birmingham City expect to have Manchester United loanee Tahith Chong back at the club next month.

The attacking midfielder joined Blues in the summer and he was a real positive for the team in the first part of the campaign, impressing with his quality on the ball and unpredictability going forward.

However, Chong suffered a groin injury back in October which meant he returned to the Red Devils for the treatment.

It wasn't clear when the 22-year-old would return, but Bowyer told the club's media today that the Dutch U21 international could be back in the fold next month.

"Chong is moving in the right direction, we are hopeful that we will get him back in February. We have missed him, he brings us so much in the final third and creates so many problems. I cannot wait for him back."

Blues have struggled without the United man, with Bowyer's men having won just one of their last nine in all competitions and they sit 18th in the Championship.

The verdict

This is a massive boost for Blues because anyone who has seen them play this season will recognise how much they've missed Chong.

He was one of very few in the squad that was capable of providing moments of quality in attack, as he can beat players and has an eye for a pass.

So, he will make a huge difference to the team and you can be sure that Bowyer will be glad to have him back, although there's still a lot of football to be played in the next month.

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