Birmingham boss Steve Bruce has revealed striker Mikael Forssell could figure in the starting line-up against his former club Chelsea - only two months after it looked like his Blues career was over.
Forssell was poised to end three years of injury frustration at St Andrews by joining Hanover earlier in the summer.
But the move never materialised and the Finland international has looked sharp in pre-season and finally appears to have shaken off his long-term knee problem.
And Bruce conceded a fit Forsell, who scored 17 Premier League goals for City in 2003-04, could end the need to look for another striker following the collapse of a deal for Tottenham's Mido.
Bruce has been linked with Everton's James Beattie after already signing Garry O'Connor and Olivier Kapo from Lokomotiv Moscow and Juventus respectively this summer.
Bruce told PA Sport: "Is Mikael in with a chance of playing against Chelsea? Absolutely. There is no question of that. He has looked so sharp this pre-season.
"We really hope he can stay that way, that his knee is fixed and he is pain free, which wasn't the case at the end of the season.
"No-one needs to tell me how good a player Mikael is when on song and fit. It was a fantastic effort when he scored 19 goals, 17 of them in the Premier League, three or four seasons ago.
"If he stays fit, it will be like having a new signing and I might not have to go looking for another striker to sign.
"There was talk about him moving to Germany and maybe we thought the change of club would do him good after battling injuries for three years.
"But the deal never happened - thankfully - and he has been showing what we all know he is capable of.
"If Mikael is back to his best for good, no-one deserves it more because he has shown great resilience and determination through all the low times and never thrown the towel in.
"He's done all the pre-season and you can see his confidence slowly but surely returning."
Bruce admitted there is only a slim chance of City reviving the Mido deal but he still has plenty of competition for places with Cameron Jerome also challenging Kapo, O'Connor and Forssell.
His main concern is the extent of skipper Damien Johnson's hamstring injury - suffered against Walsall at the weekend - and he is waiting the result of the scan.
But the move never materialised and the Finland international has looked sharp in pre-season and finally appears to have shaken off his long-term knee problem.
And Bruce conceded a fit Forsell, who scored 17 Premier League goals for City in 2003-04, could end the need to look for another striker following the collapse of a deal for Tottenham's Mido.
Bruce has been linked with Everton's James Beattie after already signing Garry O'Connor and Olivier Kapo from Lokomotiv Moscow and Juventus respectively this summer.
Bruce told PA Sport: "Is Mikael in with a chance of playing against Chelsea? Absolutely. There is no question of that. He has looked so sharp this pre-season.
"We really hope he can stay that way, that his knee is fixed and he is pain free, which wasn't the case at the end of the season.
"No-one needs to tell me how good a player Mikael is when on song and fit. It was a fantastic effort when he scored 19 goals, 17 of them in the Premier League, three or four seasons ago.
"If he stays fit, it will be like having a new signing and I might not have to go looking for another striker to sign.
"There was talk about him moving to Germany and maybe we thought the change of club would do him good after battling injuries for three years.
"But the deal never happened - thankfully - and he has been showing what we all know he is capable of.
"If Mikael is back to his best for good, no-one deserves it more because he has shown great resilience and determination through all the low times and never thrown the towel in.
"He's done all the pre-season and you can see his confidence slowly but surely returning."
Bruce admitted there is only a slim chance of City reviving the Mido deal but he still has plenty of competition for places with Cameron Jerome also challenging Kapo, O'Connor and Forssell.
His main concern is the extent of skipper Damien Johnson's hamstring injury - suffered against Walsall at the weekend - and he is waiting the result of the scan.
Copyright (c) Press Association
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