Birmingham City duo's emergence must be frustrating for Marc Leonard: View | OneFootball

Marc Leonard has struggled for game time at Birmingham City due to the form of Paik Seung-ho and Tomoki Iwata.

Birmingham City had a remarkable summer window, with the club spending an unprecedented amount by League One standards to support new boss Chris Davies.

As we know, money doesn’t guarantee success, but the early signs suggest that the recruitment team at St. Andrew’s got a lot right, with many new signings immediately showing their quality, as Blues sit top of the table.

Such is the form of the best XI right now, those on the fringes have to be patient, and one player who is watching on more than he would’ve wanted is Marc Leonard.

Marc Leonard has a slow start at Birmingham City

There was a lot of excitement at Blues when the club won the race to sign Leonard from Brighton, and it was easy to see why.

The 22-year-old spent the past two years on loan at Northampton Town, where he excelled, initially helping them to promotion to the third tier, before enjoying a fine individual season in League One last time out.

So, Birmingham were getting a player who was proven at this level, and given his age, there is plenty of room for improvement, so it was a real coup for the club, particularly when clubs like Copenhagen were among those monitoring Leonard.

However, despite his undoubted quality, Leonard hasn’t started a league game under Davies since August 24.

Paik Seung-ho and Tomoki Iwata’s partnership is flourishing for Birmingham City

A key reason for that is Tomoki Iwata’s arrival from Celtic on deadline day, with the Japanese international establishing himself as a regular alongside Paik Seung-ho in the middle of the park.

Simply put, the duo are a class above most at this level, and they are integral to the way that Davies wants the side to play.

They are both capable in possession, as they look to move the ball forward quickly, and they are brilliant when it comes to regaining the ball and pressing quickly, which are demands of the boss.

Therefore, much to Leonard’s frustration, he is likely to have a bit-part role for the moment, which sums up the outrageous strength in depth that Birmingham have by League One standards.

Marc Leonard must keep his standards high

But, this is football, and things can change very quickly, so Leonard must ensure that he keeps doing his best in training, in order to try and give Davies a decision to make.

There’s a chance that Paik or Iwata could pick up an injury, and there’s no guarantee that they will maintain the superb form that they’ve shown in the past few months.

To his credit, Leonard’s performance in the 4-0 win at Shrewsbury in the EFL Trophy suggests he is not too downhearted right now, as he put in a good display alongside Iwata, as Blues dominated from start to finish.

The incredible summer window meant arguably the biggest challenge for Davies this season was keeping his players happy, as there is so much ability on the bench every game.

Leonard falls into that category, and whilst he won’t enjoy watching on right now, he will understand that the form of Iwata and Paik means he must be patient as he waits to fully make his mark on Birmingham’s promotion push.