Birmingham City suffered another away defeat over the weekend, this time at the hands of Nathan Jones’ Charlton Athletic, with one player’s absence from the squad casting further doubt on the Blues’ future.

Following their remarkable record-breaking promotion from League One last season, Birmingham were anticipated to compete for a spot in the top six of the second division this season.

While they are not in danger of relegation, the play-off picture has escaped them for the bulk of the season, with Davies’ team consistently failing to make a real drive for the top of the table.

Their most recent setback at Charlton very much sums up their season, with their road record being their Achilles heel.

With the play-off slots slipping away, it can only be a frustrating season if they fail to finish in the top six, especially because promotion rivals Wrexham appear to be well-positioned for a play-off spot.

With nearly £50 million invested on the playing group in the last three windows, more was anticipated of those acquisitions, particularly one player whose absence from the team for Saturday’s defeat to Charlton has prompted head coach Davies to raise more concerns over his Blues future.

Chris Davies’ Kyogo Furuhashi admission casts greater doubt on Birmingham City’s future.

Charlie Kelman’s goal was the deciding factor between the two clubs, resulting in Birmingham’s third successive league defeat on the road.

The Blues’ front line included August Priske, Demarai Gray, Marvin Ducksch, and Carlos Vicente, with Jay Stansfield, Ibrahim Osman, Patrick Roberts, and Kanya Fujimoto coming off the bench. However, none were able to break the deadlock.

However, the most significant news from the game was the absence of Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi from the squad. The 31-year-old, who only came in the summer for a cost that could increase to £10 million from French side Rennes, has struggled since his arrival to the Blues.

Kyogo has only one goal in 26 league games, and Davies’ recent four-word update paints a bleak picture of his current situation at the club.

When asked about Kyogo’s absence from the matchday roster, Davies replied, “That’s just a selection.”

With no injuries to report, leaving his marquee summer signing out of the squad perfectly sums up the Japanese international’s tenure with the Blues thus far.

It will take a significant turnaround to save his Birmingham career from here. However, if he can’t even make the bench for Davies’ side, it’s difficult to see a route back for him, with a summer exit looking probable at this point.

Kyogo Furuhashi has had a dreadful stint with Birmingham City despite the recent squad removal.

Almost everyone agrees that Kyogo has had a terrible season.

The 31-year-old lit up Celtic Park during his time in Glasgow, and his move to Rennes did not go as planned, prompting Birmingham to part with an eight-figure sum this summer to bring him to the club.

He had the ball in the net in Birmingham’s season-opening home game against Ipswich Town, but it was ruled out, and things haven’t improved much since then.

Kyogo has wasted multiple high-profile chances and scored only one league goal this season, away to already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday.

With only eight starts in 26 league matches, Kyogo is definitely not first choice at St Andrews and appears to have been a massive blunder as a Birmingham signing.

It remains to be seen if he can rekindle his career with the Blues, but Davies’ latest statements suggest that it is unlikely to happen very soon.