Six Birmingham City stars face make or break pre-seasons under Chris Davies

There are a number of Birmingham City players who face make-or-break pre-seasons following the club’s relegation to League One.

New manager Chris Davies isn’t likely to arrive with too many preconceptions about the squad he has inherited. But he will want to ensure that players who underperformed last season start to prove their worth.

Davies has a full pre-season to judge his charges and will no doubt bring in a number of players to compete with them for their positions in his starting line-up. At the time of writing, Blues only have 12 senior professionals (players over the age of 21) in their squad.

At least half of them have points to prove in pre-season. Here are six players who have it all to do at St Andrew’s…

Dion Sanderson

Sanderson has unsurprisingly laid low since the tail-end of last season, when he was stripped of the captaincy. The defender, now 24, largely disappointed in his first season as a permanent Blues player.

The sacking of John Eustace really unsettled Sanderson and he wasn’t able to maintain the standards he set at the beginning of last term. Sanderson still has three years remaining on his contract and Davies will be tasked with helping him recapture his best form.

Given the way last season panned out, Sanderson owes the club’s staff and supporters an improved performance in the upcoming campaign.

Ethan Laird

We are still waiting to see some consistency from Laird in a Blues shirt. The right-back has the potential to be a top Championship player when he puts it all together.

Laird will be disappointed with the way last season ended and it remains to be seen whether he can stomach a season in League One. But one would hope Laird feels a sense of duty to help Blues, whom he joined on a three-year contract, back into the second tier.

Manny Longelo

Longelo has reached a crossroads in his Blues career. He needs to force his way to the forefront of Davies’ thinking in pre-season or move on. At 23, Longelo can’t afford another season of limited minutes and involvement.

He was harshly treated at times last season and cast aside when he had done very little wrong. In those final two games under Eustace, Longelo looked a competent Championship left-back. There is a player in there for Davies to coach.

Alex Pritchard

Due to injuries and form, Pritchard turned out to be a disappointing addition to the Blues squad in January. Pritchard does have previous in League One and won promotion with Sunderland two years ago, but there will be lots of competition in the attacking midfield positions for Blues next season. Pritchard has two years remaining on his contract and will be out to impress.

Tyler Roberts

Roberts has only started eight league games in 18 months due to injuries and will almost certainly start next season at Blues. He has the ability to terrorise League One defences having been a Premier League player two years ago.

Pre-season is more important for Roberts than most. He needs to prove his fitness, form and worth to Davies, who will have the cash to sign alternatives if needs be.

Siriki Dembele

Three successive managers weren’t enamoured by Dembele last season. Wayne Rooney dropped him, Tony Mowbray questioned his intensity in training and Gary Rowett didn’t trust him.

Dembele failed to show at Blues’ end-of-season awards dinner and has a job on his hands to repair his relationship with the club’s supporters. Of all the players on this list, Dembele has the most work to do.