Birmingham City boss Pep Clotet has revealed he expects new signing Ivan Sunjic to be able to play against Brentford on Saturday even though he is yet to receive international clearance.

Blues announced the capture of the 22-year-old on Friday but as it stands he wouldn't be available to play as they wait for the final bit of paperwork to go through in order to register the player.

However, the manager told Birmingham Live that he has been reassured by figures at the club that everything should be in place to ensure Sunjic can feature at Griffin Park.

"The club is very confident it might be on time. I do not know the details yet I only asked if it is going to be on time and they told me it is practically done. I am hoping to have him available on Saturday."

The Croatia U21 international is expected to be a major player for the west Midlands outfit this season and his arrival from Dinamo Zagreb was seen as a major coup.

The Verdict

This is good news for Blues although there's no doubt that Clotet will be nervous until it's finally confirmed and gone through that Sunjic will be available.

He will be needed too in what will be a tough game against a very good Brentford side.

It seems as though the Croatian is going to be a key figure for Clotet in how he wants the side to play, as he will receive the ball from the back four and look to dictate the tempo for the team.

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