Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel a doubt for the Southampton game

Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is a doubt for the Premier League game against Southampton this Thursday.

The 31-year old had to be taken off late in the 2-1 defeat to Burnley as he picked up an ankle injury, and it is now feared that he may not return to action in time.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, manager Claude Puel did reveal that the extent of the damage isn’t clear as yet, and it will need “further assessment” before Leicester City know if Schmeichel can play or not.

Puel further confirmed that Shinji Okazaki (ankle injury) is a doubt as well, while Daniel Amartey, who has just returned from a spell on the sidelines, won’t certainly feature this week.

"“He took a fall and has a knock on his ankle,” he said.“We will see tomorrow if he can play in this game or not. We are not sure for the moment. At the moment, he cannot train with us.“Shinji has a problem with his ankle and will see if he is available tomorrow. Amartey came back to training on Tuesday, but he has not had enough training sessions.”"

Leicester City will, however, be boosted by the return of Wilfred Ndidi, who was sent off in the 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion a couple weeks back. The Nigerian had to miss two games as part of his suspension thereafter as his side lost both the games, first against Newcastle United and then Burnley.

Ndidi’s return means that Hamza Choudhury would have to go back to the bench again, but Claude Puel is certain that it won’t stay that way for too long.

"“I am happy about the first start of Hamza, but Wilfred is very valuable player for us,” said Puel.“We know Wilfred is a young player but with a lot of experience and strong maturity in his play. He is crucial for us.“I am happy with Hamza because he is a ball-winner, he likes to recover a lot. He can give an option for the future of course. We didn’t have a midfielder with attributes to recover the ball like Wilfred. Choudhury gives us that possibility.”"

Choudhury has been the only cause for optimism in what have otherwise been two very disappointing weeks, added further to by injuries to Vicente Iborra and Matty James.

Leicester City will nonetheless get the chance to start afresh as they host Puel’s former side Southampton in a must-win game.

Next: Pace Vs possession: The Leicester City attack under Claude Puel

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