Birmingham City defender Cheik Keita has suffered an injury set-back during an under-23's clash with Bristol City on Monday.

The left-back limped out of the action just before the hour mark after taking a blow to the ankle, once again throwing his immediate future with the club into doubt.

Writing on Twitter, the club's official account said: "Cheick Keita is replaced by Miguel Fernandez after taking a heavy blow to the ankle. The Blues man was helped to his feet but limped off."

Since signing for the Blues back in January 2017 from Italian side Virtus Entrella for around £1.5million, Keita has gone on to make just 11 appearances for the first-team, racking-up one assist.

He has spent the last two seasons away on loan, however, first with Bologna in for the 2017/18 campaign and then KAS Eupen in Belgium for the previous season.

Pep Clotet's side have made a decent start in the Championship, currently sat in ninth place with six matches played with a trip to high-flying Charlton awaiting them upon their return.

However, it looks like the manager will have one less option to choose from for the clash.

The verdict

Keita must be starting to feel like he is destined to fail at St. Andrews.

The 22-year-old has made just 11 appearances in nearly three years and it now looks like he could have another wait on his hands increase that tally even further.

Birmingham have made a strong start to the season but you feel like they may need squad players such as Keita to keep them out of trouble for the entirety of the campaign.