Leicester City’s injury list and return dates ahead of Watford including that of Vestergaard, Ndidi and Iheanacho

Latest Leicester City news as Enzo Maresca shares an update on the Foxes’ walking wounded ahead of the game against Watford on Saturday.

Leicester City have come through the tougher parts of this gruelling Championship schedule, having lost a slew of first-team options to injury at various points during the season. Now, as the Foxes prepare for the final third of the season, Enzo Maresca is gradually rebuilding the squad to its full strength.

January wasn’t an easy month to navigate; City lost Cesare Casadei during his loan spell, and a slew of players left to represent their respective countries at either AFCON or Asian Cup. Maresca’s first-team options were severely limited for a while due to a lack of incoming business, but City appear to have overcome those issues.

Next up is a trip to Watford; the Hornets face Southampton in their FA Cup fourth round replay on Tuesday night, giving Leicester a few extra days of preparation this weekend as they look for another important away win in the space of a week. Here’s a look at the Seagrave injury list.

Jannik Vestergaard

Vestergaard, who has been given a new lease on life under Maresca this season and is a mainstay at the heart of defence alongside Wout Faes, was substituted at halftime in Saturday’s 5-0 win over Stoke City due to a muscle problem. It remains to be seen how serious the issue is.

Maresca said, “Jannik, he felt something, a muscle, so hopefully it’s not a big issue.”

Possible return date: We’ll find out how Vestergaard’s week went when Maresca speaks with the media ahead of the trip to Watford this weekend.

Kelechi Iheanacho

Iheanacho, who helped Nigeria reach the AFCON semi-finals, will spend the remainder of this week and the tournament in Ivory Coast, the tournament’s host nation. Whether they make it to the final or not, the Super Eagles will play this weekend because there is a third-place playoff for the losing semi-finalists.

Possible return date: Iheanacho could play against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday, February 13th, but if that’s too far out, he’ll be available against Middlesbrough on Saturday, February 17th.

Wilfried Ndidi

The Nigerian was initially ruled out for up to three months in January due to a serious muscle injury, which could mean he won’t play for City again until early April. However, following a quick recovery from surgery, he hopes to return to action this month.

What Ndidi said: “The injury’s alright, I’m getting there. It’s two weeks post surgery. Hopefully in a couple of weeks, I’ll be back,” Asked if that was a couple of weeks until he was training or playing, he added: “A couple of weeks to play.”

Possible return date: Ndidi could return between now and the Middlesbrough game if his optimistic outlook comes true, though Maresca has since advised caution.

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