The Pole had struggled to live up to his £2.7million price tag in his first two years at Carrow Road, scoring just once and seeming lost under both Daniel Farke and Dean Smith.

He made a “massive impact” at St. Andrew’s in his first month with the Second City club, according to Blues boss John Eustace. A twist in the story occurred when a long-term injury forced his premature return to Norfolk.

“The injury situation was really tough for me,” Placheta remarked to City’s official matchday programme OTBC. “It taught me a few things that I am currently employing.” That makes me feel better.

“Of course, it was extremely difficult for me, but I gained some valuable insights into my game and my body.”

“I’m the type of person who will always look for the good in a bad situation, such as when I was in rehab or just at the gym.” I was seeking for something productive to do with my time.

“Not just doing the rehab day-by-day, I was also watching games, putting the different match situations into my head, to visualise. I was using what I could.”

Navigating that tough period was done with the help of many people, but ensuring a positive home life was key for Placheta at a difficult time.

“I’m really thankful to my wife, to my family, that they were with me through it,” he continued. “It’s not like I could forget about it, because football is my passion and I can’t forget about that side of things.

“But with my family, especially my wife, we were able to spend more time together, go away and do things, visit places, to enjoy life a bit.

“I’m still young, but we as footballers have 10 to 15 years to play and then it’s over. You still have to have a life and to spend time with family, have a focus away from football because we live like this every day when we are fit.”

Birmingham and Eustace’s loss turned out to be David Wagner’s gain, with the German reintegrating Placheta to the first-team setup at Colney this summer.

The 25-year-old, in his head coach’s words “has so many things which excite me”, and is delighted with his improved status under the former Huddersfield Town boss.

He recently described Wagner as a “great manager”, and has his full focus on making a mark in yellow and green.

“Since the first day, I’ve only had one goal in mind: to present myself in the best way possible,” he explained. “I think I did well, and I got good signs and some things to work on from the head coach and the entire staff.”

“That made me happy. I might reflect on the areas in which I need to improve in order to become a better footballer. For me, working with the new head coach has been fantastic, and we began talking about the new position right before [this summer’s pre-season camp in] Austria.

“I just want to play and enjoy myself on the field.” If he wants me to play there, I’m available. I know my strengths, so if I’m playing on the wing, I’ll give it my all, and the same goes for left-back.

“I like the new system a lot.” Since the first practice, I’ve thought the tactic was intriguing and a fantastic fit for our squad.

“I just need to concentrate on improving my game while also contributing to the team.”