Birmingham City head coach Lee Bowyer has confirmed that Manchester United loanee Tahith Chong has suffered a hamstring injury, a little over a month after returning from a four-month injury lay-off.
The Dutchman, who joined the Championship side on loan for the duration of the season back in July, was forced off just before the hour mark during their 1-0 win over rivals West Bromwich Albion at St Andrew's on Sunday afternoon. After the game, Chong's early withdrawal from the contest was played down by Bowyer, who insisted that he took him off for nothing other than a precaution.
But the Birmingham boss, looking ahead to his side's trip to in-form Nottingham Forest on Saturday, has confirmed that Chong has tweaked his hamstring, meaning that he now faces a fresh spell on the sidelines. However, Bowyer is hopeful that the United loanee will play again before the season reaches its conclusion next month.
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Bowyer said: "Tahith, unfortunately, has tweaked his hamstring a little bit. When he came off [vs West Brom] he was saying, 'Nah, nah, leave me on for another five minutes' and I was like 'no, no'.
"Thankfully I didn't listen to Tahith and hopefully we'll get him back for the last couple of games."
Chong's latest setback has come just over four weeks after he returned to Championship action following a serious thigh injury that required surgery. The winger was sidelined between late-October and the end of February.
Initially, it threatened to bring his season to his end, meaning this latest setback, just weeks after defying the odds and making a return, will have heavily frustrated the youngster, who recently had his United contract extended by a further year. When fit, he has been excellent for the Blues this season, producing a string of eye-catching performances.
In total, he has racked up 19 appearances for the club, scoring one goal and grabbing three assists. His only goal in Birmingham colours came on his first start since returning from his lengthy injury lay-off, finding the back of the net 2-1 win over Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
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