Walsall boss Mat Sadler reveals Donervon Daniels injury blow

Speaking after his side’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City, Sadler confirmed the defender will miss the start of the new campaign, and said that the injury has affected Daniels’ mental health.

The defender was absent from Saturday’s match where Alfie May’s second-half goal earned Walsall's League One opponents victory.

The Saddlers begin their League Two season in a fortnight at Bescot, welcoming Morecambe.

After the defeat, Walsall boss Sadler revealed Daniels’ injury news, saying: “Donovan is going to have to have surgery.

“He’s got a bit of a nick in his knee that he did when he was away in the summer.

“We hoped that it would be something that didn’t need to be operated on, and he’s tried as hard to get through it, but the strain has become a bit too much for him and got the better of him.

“I think mentally Donovan was struggling because he knew this was something he was carrying and he was trying his hardest to get through it.

“The decision had been taken out of his hands for a little bit and he’s got to have that surgery.

“We will miss him for six to eight weeks if everything goes well.”

Sadler was pleased that his side did not sustain any further injuries against Birmingham after also losing Brandon Comley in pre-season to a fractured fibula.

The Walsall boss was keen to take the positives from their latest display against Birmingham who fielded a strong side after spending more than £10 million this summer.

“There were loads of positives signs in that game,” said Sadler. “It’s really difficult because you play against these guys and it’s sometimes not relatable to League Two football at times.

“It’s probably not what we will face in general. In terms of our shape we were great and really organised.

“When we gave the ball away in the final third we worked incredibly hard to get back into our shape. I thought there were some really good passages of play where we switched the ball well and played out of their press.

“There were loads of encouraging signs, but most importantly no injuries and a lot of 90-minutes under their legs.”

The home side were denied on several occasions by Birmingham goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

Asked if he will hope for these chances to be converted into goals when the season comes, Sadler said: “Of course, but nobody ever did anything in pre-season, we just need to stay healthy, keep as many people on the pitch as possible and get as many lads as many minutes as we can.”