Birmingham boss McLeish cautious over McFadden return

Alex McLeish will resist the temptation to rush key Birmingham striker James McFadden back into action.

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The Blues boss is putting no time frame on when McFadden could return after he underwent keyhole surgery on his knee a fortnight ago.

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McLeish is being extra cautious after midfielder Olivier Kapo was forced to delay his comeback from a hamstring injury for an additional week before resuming training today (Monday).

Ideally the City chief would like the duo back in contention for Saturday's clash at McFadden's former club Everton but he will assess their fitness this week.

McLeish said: "Is McFadden on course for the Everton game? I don't like to say that anyone is on course for a game. I'd rather just let them heal and wait and see.

"James is supposed to be on course for the Everton game but he is still doing some rehabilitation on his knee and there is still a bit of tenderness there.

"I am not going to start saying 'he will be ready.' It would be great to get him back because he will definitely make us stronger. "But I can't force the issue and cause problems for the long term."

McFadden has already scored four times for City since his £5 million from Everton in January and linked up effectively with Mikael Forssell before being forced to miss the last three games with Reading, Manchester City and Wigan.

Kapo had also started to show his quality before suffering his hamstring blow against Arsenal in the same game as which Eduardo broke his leg in a challenge from Martin Taylor.

McLeish added: "We are hopeful Kapo comes back ready to train today (Monday). He has had some irritation in his hamstring and his return to training has been delayed for a week.

"We thought he might have made the Wigan game on Saturday and it never happened. That is why I am loathe to say James will be ready for the Everton game."