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Bruce had been waiting to see how the Northern Ireland captain responded to treatment before deciding whether to get him to sign.
But the midfielder (pictured right) has not recovered sufficently from his ankle injury to make the loan switch from the Dons necessary
Bruce said: "The talks have gone well. The only stumbling block is that he has an ankle injury.
"At the moment the midfield is the area we are looking at because we are a little light. He is a quality player capable of getting a goal from midfield.
"He has been available for some time but no-one has taken him because of his salary.
"Thankfully we have done something about that and we have been able to bring him to Birmingham City.
"He has played almost all his football at the top level. He will give us the quality we are looking for at the present time.
"The unfortunate thing at the moment is that I would have kept the news under wraps until he was fully fit.