Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes has provided an update on the fitness of his squad ahead of their return to action at home to Portsmouth on Saturday evening
Marti Cifuentes before Leicester City’s 1-1 draw with West Brom
Marti Cifuentes before Leicester City’s 1-1 draw with West Brom(Image: Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock)
Stephy Mavididi is a major doubt for Leicester City’s home clash with Portsmouth as the winger battles to overcome a hamstring injury.
Mavididi missed City’s win over Swansea before the international break with the issue and two weeks in recovery is not yet enough for him to be fully fit.
While manager Marti Cifuentes did not explicitly rule Mavididi out of featuring in Saturday evening’s game, it seems unlikely that he will be rushed back, meaning Jeremy Monga will be the favourite to start again on the left wing.
“The only one is Stephy,” Cifuentes said when asked for an injury update at his press conference on Friday. “He’s still recovering from a small muscular issue, but he’s getting very close.
“We’ll see (if he can play a part). We’re assessing. I like to sit with the medical team and listen to them, sit with the player, and then make a decision.
“Stephy is a very important player for us and it will be good news the sooner he is back. At the same time, we want to make sure that when he’s back, there are no setbacks or new issues.”
The good news is that all of City’s international players have returned fit and healthy. That includes Abdul Fatawu, who was on Ghana duty for the first time since suffering his ACL injury while playing for his country 11 months ago.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid was one of the last players to return, the attacking midfielder representing and scoring for Jamaica, and that could see Aaron Ramsey take his place in the side, with the loanee having been with the squad for the past fortnight.
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“Everybody who went away has come back in good shape,” Cifuentes added. “The last ones were Hamza (Choudhury) and Bobby after long trips. They’re in good shape, and Bobby’s in a good mood after scoring a good goal.
“It was great news for Abdul and Jordan (Ayew), qualifying for the World Cup with Ghana. Overall it was a good international break.”
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