Birmingham's Furuhashi Out for Season After Shoulder Surgery

Birmingham City striker Kyogo Furuhashi will miss the remainder of the Championship season after undergoing surgery on a longstanding shoulder injury. The 31-year-old Japanese forward, who joined the club from Rennes last summer, had the procedure performed recently, as confirmed by manager Chris Davies following Birmingham's 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Good Friday.

Davies, a former assistant coach at Celtic where Kyogo previously starred, explained the decision after the match. "Kyogo is out for the season," he said. "He's had his shoulder operated on, which was an ongoing thing that he kept trying to put off. In the end we decided to get it done and then he's back for preseason." The surgery addresses an issue that has troubled Furuhashi for years, dating back to his time at Celtic and even earlier in his youth as a competitive swimmer in Japan. It first became prominent during his stint in Glasgow, where it occasionally caused dislocations and sidelined him for games.

Furuhashi's move to Birmingham came after a brief and unproductive spell at Rennes, where he made just six appearances without scoring following his departure from Celtic in January 2025. The club signed...