DJ Return Unlikely

Last updated : 06 December 2007 By Brian Cartlidge
The Blues skipper has been sidelined for several weeks with a hamstring injury and although he is nearing full fitness manager Alex McLeish has said that he will not be rushing the Northern Ireland international back into first team action.

"Is Johnson in the frame?," McLeish has said.

"At the moment we still feel he can do some more training and get real sharpness although I think Damien is the type of guy who, when we give him the nod, will slot back in with no problem.

"I looked at Damien at Rangers when he was a kid at Blackburn. I tried to snatch him, but we couldn't do it.

"He is a valuable player. He is the type of player in a team that your team-mates appreciate.

"What I've got to be cautious of is he's had an injury and I want to make sure he is right.

"If we put him back in and he breaks down again, then we lose a valuable player and we also undo a lot of good work that the physios and fitness guys have done with Damien.

"It doesn't mean to say that he won't break down again, even when I decide that time is right, but I certainly want to give him every chance."