Benitez could miss season opening
Birmingham record signing Christian Benitez could miss the start of the season if he fails to convince manager Alex McLeish of his fitness.
The Ecuador international, a £7.75million capture from Mexican side Santos Laguna, has finally linked up with his new team-mates after being granted a visa.
But the 23-year-old upset McLeish by playing in a charity match before arriving in Birmingham at the weekend, despite still recovering from a shoulder operation in May that has rendered him unable to train with the other players.
The manager said: "Christian is still at a stage where he's not going to make any contact training at the moment. It will be more of the running variety.
"We've done the tests on him and he's a a bit behind on the fitness as well.
"These situations happen when you buy players when they come from South America. They have finished their season late and they need a little more rest. You've got to be fair to them.
"The important thing is having these guys for the whole season, not just one game."
