LONDON, Jan 29 ― Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi will be out for up to 10 days but striker Jamie Vardy's recovery is progressing well after his minor hernia operation, manager Brendan Rodgers said yesterday.
Rodgers said Nigeria international Ndidi, who was substituted in Wednesday's draw at Everton, had a slight tear to his hamstring.
“He will be out for eight to 10 days. Sometimes those can be a lot longer than that, so we’re fortunate,” he said.
Rodgers said Vardy was on schedule after his operation six days ago, although the club had yet to set a date for his return.
“Having been sore initially, I saw him in the gym today and he’s starting to run. He’s progressing really well... we'll look to get him training after 10 days following the operation and we’re on course for that.”
Centre back Jonny Evans, who suffered blurred vision in midweek, is available.
Leicester are third in the standings, two points behind leaders Manchester City who have a game in hand.
The Foxes beat Leeds, now in 12th place, 4-1 last November in their first Premier League clash for 16 years.
Rodgers said his side had strength in depth to manage the injuries.
“We played very well in midweek and we’ll look to take that into our next game. If you shine a light over the course of the season, we’ve had important players who have been missing consistently,” he said.
He indicated midfielder Hamza Choudhury, of interest to Newcastle United, would not leave unless a replacement was found before the end of the transfer window on Monday.
“I've spoken to (Newcastle manager) Steve (Bruce) on Hamza. We've always felt we need another more attacking midfield player in. If we can do that, that may well give the possibility for Hamza to go out,” he said.
“Otherwise we can't afford to lose anyone if we can't get anyone in.” ― Reuters
