Birmingham City boss Pep Clotet has revealed that new signing Josh McEachran will not be involved as Blues take on Middlesbrough this evening.

The former Brentford midfielder joined the club on a two-year deal last week but he hasn't featured in the two games that Blues have played, and lost, since.

And, he will have to wait for his debut once again, as Clotet explained his plans for the ex-Chelsea youngster when speaking to Birmingham Live ahead of Boro's visit.

"He's getting closer. We'll be getting him doing really intensive work over the international break. Because he's going to work very hard next week to try and get him up to speed Basically what he needs now is a lot of high speed training and intense training and the Under 23s games help for that.

"He shouldn't be far from being able to compete. Obviously he's not ready for 90 minutes."

With that in mind, McEachran will seemingly be targeting the game against Leeds United at Elland Road on October 19 for his first appearance in a Blues shirt.

A 1-0 loss to Wigan last time out condemned Clotet's men to a third consecutive defeat in the league, meaning the pressure is starting to build on the Spaniard.

The verdict

This news will frustrate Birmingham fans as they can see that the midfield is lacking something right now and McEachran would make a big difference with his ability on the ball.

However, you have to trust Clotet on this one and if the player isn't ready to play then it's best to be patient and you can understand why he's not at 100% as he didn't have a proper pre-season.

So, the international break is coming at the right time for the midfielder who could become a key player in this team once he is fully fit.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

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