This article is part of Football FanCast's In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies...

Birmingham City are struggling for goals right now.

In fact only two teams in the division have scored fewer goals than them. With the January window still a way away, Blues boss Pep Clotet will have to look for solutions within the camp until the opportunity to bring in reinforcements comes.

Whilst Clotet might look for players within the first team to pick up their game a bit more, there is one man who has slowly but surely managed to find his feet with the U23 side, and that form is coming at just the right time given his contract situation.

Miguel Fernandez has scored four times for the Birmingham U23 side this season, and both of them came in braces, against Wigan Athletic at the start of the month and versus Leeds United last Friday. So he may not be the most consistent, but on his day he can pack a punch.

His tally for the current term is higher than anyone in the first team with Lukas Jutkiewicz currently only on three. Thus, it's surely worth a gamble giving the youngster a go?

Much in the same way we documented on FFC with goalkeeper Moha Ramos, and how the fact he is only with the club on loan should give a sense of urgency to the process of bringing him into the first-team, Fernandez is only with the club on a six-month contract, so that process should be even quicker.

With the Championship really kicking into gear now, if the first team can’t produce the goods, then Clotet might have to take a gamble with the youth.

He has already shown this year that he isn’t scared of giving young players a chance, with the emergence of Jude Bellingham being the best example, as well as the rise of Odin Bailey after his goal against Middlesbrough, so it’s not impossible that he will go down that route and call on the 19-year-old.

And if he can put as good a set of performances for the first team as he has for the U23 side, then he might just find himself staying at St Andrew’s for longer than the six months he’s currently scheduled to.