Former Middlesbrough and Doncaster Rovers defender George Friend released by Birmingham City

The 35-year-old made 299 appearances in a Middlesbrough shirt during an eight-year stay after joining from Doncaster in 2012. He swapped Middlesbrough for Birmingham in 2020, but the Blues have announced he has been released along with several other senior players.

A section of Birmingham’s retained list statement read: “Six members of John Eustace’s first-team squad have been released. These are Maxime Colin, Harlee Dean, whose most recent appearance was his 200th for Birmingham City, Troy Deeney, George Friend, Jordan Graham and Kevin Long. It must be noted that talks remain ongoing with a number of released players.”

Although Friend may be among the players Birmingham are still in talks with, his release may have put clubs looking for an experienced figure in defence on alert.

He was a bit-part player for Birmingham during the 2022/23 campaign, making just six Championship appearances and seven in all competitions. However, he would bring a wealth of experience to a new employer having accumulated over 450 career appearances since penning his first professional deal with Exeter City.