Birmingham City captain Damien Johnson is set to miss the next two months after deciding to have an operation to cure his long-standing back problem.

The 29-year-old returned from Blues' pre-season tour of Austria after the injury flared up again and is now booked in for surgery.

"Damien's resisted it for a couple of years but now it's felt an operation is best," Blues boss Alex McLeish told the club's official website.

"He'll be out for no less that two months."

McLeish revealed that summer signing Lee Carsley will lead the side in the absence of Johnson.