George Hall’s absence is clarified as he is prepared to confront Birmingham City

George Hall was notably absent from Birmingham City’s match-day squad as they defeated Preston North End at St Andrew’s on Easter Monday – and while the winger has not sustained another injury, Gary Rowett is facing some difficult selection decisions due to the depth of attacking talent available to him.

Hall has only played six league games after being plagued by hamstring problems for almost exactly a year, since he limped off at Sunderland at the end of last season – after opening the scoring in the 2-1 defeat – but he appeared in five consecutive matches from the bench under Mark Venus, prior to Rowett’s return during the recent international break.

Hall, who pledged his future to the Blues in September and signed a new contract that would last for a few more years beginning this summer, was an unused replacement in the defeat at Queens Park Rangers on Good Friday but was left out of Rowett’s 20-man squad three days later. While many people will be happy to learn that Hall hasn’t relapsed, the truth is that the teenager is struggling due to a lack of alternatives.

However, Rowett, who has watched Hall’s progress from afar and with interest over the last few years, does not question the player’s abilities. With the Blues in their current circumstances, Rowett is choosing a more tried and tested personnel profile.

“He’s a player who I’ve watched quite a lot of. I think he’s a really talented player,” Rowett told BirminghamLive. “The challenge is, for such a short space of time, I have to be very specific on what I need and where I need it. It’s through no fault of his own, he’s unfortunate. It could’ve been him or three others, I just had to make a decision.