Bruce 'wary' ahead of Jermaine Pennant's return

Sep 22 2007

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce is wary of the threat posed by winger Jermaine Pennant when he takes his side to Liverpool later today.

Bruce handed Pennant a career lifeline when he signed him from Arsenal and stood by him after he was jailed for motoring offences.

Pennant’s form for Birmingham earned him a dream move to Liverpool last summer and Bruce said: “He seems to have knuckled down and did well to get a move to such a top club as Liverpool.

“He appears to have behaved himself since joining Liverpool and made himself into a really good player.

“No-one doubts his ability. He has taken on added responsibility and I felt that in the European Cup final he was their best player.

“Going to prison certainly gave him a wake-up call.

“He was a fantastic player for us and he is a genuinely a good kid.

“After leaving Birmingham he gave me a Liverpool shirt but it does not go down too well in my house,” added former Manchester United skipper Bruce.

Bruce believes he has got a more than able replacement for Pennant in the shape of Sebastian Larsson.

“We sold Jermaine to Liverpool for £8million and we brought in Seb Larsson from Arsenal for £1million to replace him,” said Bruce.

“Seb has been a great replacement for us and he has been a fantastic signing.

“He scored nine goals last season and played a key role in us winning promotion.

“He probably had his best game of the season in the 1-0 win over Bolton last Saturday.

“He is keen to prove himself in the Premier League and he is turning out to be a great replacement for Pennant.”

Birmingham drew 1-1 the last time they went to Anfield in the Premier League and Bruce would no doubt settle for a repeat of that result.

But he knows that his new-look side face a massive test and he said: “It’s a tough month for us.

“We have got Manchester United at home next weekend so you could not ask to have two tougher games back to back.

“But this is what the Premier League is all about and why we worked so hard to get back here.

“I hope we catch Liverpool on an off-day. But I know that it is going to be hard as they have only conceded two goals this season.

“It’s a great stadium and a great atmosphere and I am delighted to be going back.

“Their fans always give me a hard time up there but I enjoy it.”

Bruce has plenty of options to choose from as Birmingham seek to build on their first home win of the season against Bolton last weekend.

He said: “I’ve got everyone available with the exception of Damien Johnson.

“He played for the reserves on Monday after missing the start of the season with a hamstring pull but it’s too early to consider him for the first team.”