Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish was left facing a midfield dilemma after it was confirmed Mehdi Nafti would be missing for at least two weeks because of a hamstring injury.

The Tunisia international was forced to limp off in the first half of Blues’ 2-1 victory over Southampton at St Mary’s last Saturday and with Damien Johnson still out injured with a back problem and Dutch midfielder Kemy Agustien needing match practice before his is ready, McLeish’s options are few.

Sixteen-year-old Jordon Mutch is highly rated by McLeish but the Blues boss is reluctant to throw him in too early in to the pressure cooker that is Birmingham’s promotion campaign.

Sebastian Larsson moved in-field from the right flank last weekend to replace Nafti, with Cameron Jerome playing on the wing, and that is the most likely scenario for this Saturday’s visit of Barnsley to St Andrew’s.

However, McLeish could also choose to dip into the transfer market.

“Scans have shown that Mehdi has got a grade one tear,” said McLeish. “It’s a very small tear and Tim Williamson (the head physiotherapist) says clinically it’s not bad. It’s high up his hamstring where the muscle meets the tendon and Tim thinks a couple of weeks, so that’s a blow for us.

“That presents us with a problem as Agustien is just about ready but he needs a couple of reserve games. I also have Jordon Mutch there who is just 16 but is about ready to go into the team. I am loath to throw him in and put him under too much pressure early in his career, but he is definitely capable.

“He has broken through and really looks like he could be a good player. I am mindful of taking care of Jordon and not rushing him and exposing him too early. I feel when I play him you will know that he is ready when you see him on the field, but we are certainly going to have a good look at him. He has been training with the first team for about a season now and he has slotted in well. Whether I start him or not over the next couple of months or so we will just have to wait and see.

“The young boys, they climb the hill very rapidly and then they plateau out. We will wait until he has full fitness before I commit him but he will be involved and he will be on the bench.

“We brought through some kids at Rangers and we have always encouraged younger players. Lee McCullough went on to good things with Wigan, Rangers and Scotland and we brought him through at Motherwell when he was a precocious 16-year-old. Some of the lads we brought through at Rangers have now moved on, like Ross McCormack at Cardiff, and I gave Gary O’Connor his debut at Hibs.”

McLeish has allowed another product of the youth system to go out on loan. Highly-rated defender Krystian Pearce, who enjoyed loan spells with Notts County, where he appeared nine times, and Port Vale, where he played on 12 occasions last season, has been allowed to join League One side Scunthorpe United for a month.

“I found out that Scunthorpe were interested a couple of weeks ago, but I didn’t come to the club until Monday,” said Pearce.

“I was in the gym at Birmingham at the time, and academy manager Terry Westley came in and had a chat with me, saying that Scunthorpe had made an offer.

“Through playing for England, I know Jack Cork, who was at United last season. He’s told me how good the club is.”