Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish is confident Christian Benitez is happy at St Andrews.

The striker returned late from World Cup duty and missed Blues match at Arsenal last weekend, which has fueled speculation he is unsettled.

Blues effectively gave his career in England a lifeline by deciding to renegotiate his permanent transfer from Mexican side Santos Laguna as a loan after he failed a medical.

They have an option to buy in the summer in a deal that could potentially be worth a club record £7.75 million.

"I have not seen any signs that he's not happy," McLeish told the Birmingham Mail. "That sort of stuff, it's just rumour.

"Not only is he playing in the team, but we've probably played him ahead of schedule. That's how much we think of him and I think he's got the potential to make an impact.

"We haven't actually seen the evidence he will be a massive hit in the Premier League. The potential is there."