Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish has confirmed that striker Garry O'Connor is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines as he requires surgery on his troublesome hip.

O'Connor, 26, has been restricted to just six appearances this campaign, the last of which came in the 2-1 defeat to Burnley in early October, but is now facing 'several months' on the sidelines.

The news leaves Blues short of attacking options with very little back-up options for first-choice front two Cameron Jerome and Christian Benitez.

Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips could profit from O'Connor's enforced absence with the 36-year-old only making a few fleeting appearances for the Blues so far in the Premier League.

However, the likelihood is that McLeish will dip into the transfer market come January with a host of strikers, including Valencia's Nikola Zigic and Red Bull Salsburg's towering forward Marc Janko, linked with the club.

"We have received some disappointing news about Garry. He is likely to need an operation on his hip," McLeish admitted on Friday.

"It could keep him out for several months and leaves our striking options light."

McLeish will hoping his side can build on last weekend's 1-0 win over Fulham, which stretched their unbeaten run to four games, when they travel to Molineux to face arch rivals Wolves on Sunday.