Sebastian Larsson’s knee injury is not as bad as first feared and the Birmingham City midfielder could be back in action for the crucial relegation battle against Reading on Saturday, manager Alex McLeish has revealed.

The 22-year-old Sweden international limped out of Monday night’s draw with Newcastle following a heavy tackle from Nicky Butt in the first half and McLeish feared Larsson had suffered medial ligament damage of his left knee.

However, the injury has responded well to treatment and a scan to determine the scale of the injury has not been required.

McLeish said Larsson, who has scored with two stunning free kicks in the last three games, could be fit for the trip to the Madejski Stadium.

"We are waiting on Larsson and we will give him every chance," McLeish said. "We thought he had ligament damage when he left the field but it has settled down a bit and he is fighting to be fit for Saturday.

"We I don’t think we needed to do the scans, it was a straight forward physiotherapy diagnosis.

He has made great progress. He is a quick healer and a sturdy little guy. He has been playing execllent for us over the past few weeks.

"We have players who fit into a system and they have been superbly but you ask for a little bit more in terms of quality and Seb has been giving us that, in terms of delivery and his retention of the ball. For a little guy he is also competitive in the air. I think he has been very influential for us in recent weeks.

"We will wait until the last minute for Seb. Obviously Danny de Ridder is available but we have a few other options. I am not set on my plans if Seb doesn’t make it."