Birmingham boss Alex McLeish believes James McFadden could return to action in the next three weeks after a successful operation on his knee.
McLeish confirmed the operation was a success and is now keen to have his January signing back as soon as possible to boost the club's survival bid.
"The operation went very well and James feels good," McLeish told the club's official website.
"It's important that we got him sorted out for the games that will be crucial at the end of the campaign.
"Hopefully now he'll be back in two or three weeks, but we'll be guided by Neil McDiarmid (the chief physio) and his team.
"We can ill afford to lose players like James McFadden and (Olivier) Kapo from what is a small and inexperienced squad.
"These are major blows to any team never mind Birmingham City, but especially to us when you don't have the resources."
