McLeish ponders offering Carr a short-term contract

BIRMINGHAM manager Alex McLeish has said he is considering offering Stephen Carr a short-term deal to stay at the club.

The 32-year-old announced his retirement last December after failing to find a new club following his summer release from Newcastle.

However, the former Republic of Ireland international right-back has been training with Blues for the last few weeks and featured in Tuesday’s behind-closed-doors game against Chesterfield as McLeish looks to bolster his defensive options.

Birmingham are also considering a similar deal for former Aston Villa defender Ulises De la Cruz.

“We’re still looking at Stephen, I’ll speak to him with the possibility of a short-term deal,” said McLeish.

“I haven’t spoken to him yet but if we were going to do something then that would be the way forward.

“He’s in decent nick — his figures, and Ulises’, in the science department are of a good standard.

“We’re still assessing the guys further, they’ve been out of playing for a long time and you’ve just got to make sure.”