Wilfred Ndidi is fit again – will he start the next Leicester game?

Leicester City’s most critical player – Wilfred Ndidi – has been out of action for some time. Now he is fit, let’s see whether he should start again soon.

Brendan Rodgers will be relieved that his King Power side will soon have the defensive beast that is Wilfred Ndidi back in the side. The Nigerian international has made a sooner than expected recovery and could be fit soon.

The fan favourite was on the bench for the Arsenal defeat, though he did not feature in the fixture. However, if the gaffer believes the player to be fit enough for the bench, then he must be getting close to a return.

I’ll briefly detail the status of his recovery as is known, and then we will delve into which match Ndidi should return in.

Leicester City’s ace

The defensive midfielder is truly the Foxes’ ace card. A simply sensational talent who helps us to concede less goals. However, his absence has not been felt too severely as Rodgers switched the formation to one which incorporated Boubakary Soumare into the side.

According to LeicestershireLive, ‘Wilf’ has made a quicker than expected recovery from a hamstring problem. This means the Nigerian featured on the bench against Arsenal and could return to the side for their next match.

Whether we shall see him feature in the next fixture – the Spartak Moscow match – or in some other game later in the month is debatable. Consider how well Leicester have created chances with the 3-4-1-2 formation and a dynamic pivot of Youri Tielemans and Soumare: it is hard to see that being immediately broken up.

When will Ndidi next feature

There are two ways for the boss to reintegrate the midfielder. Firstly, Rodgers could reintroduce Ndidi in cup matches such as the Europa League and domestic cups where a change in formation and team is expected.

In this scenario the now roughly fit Big Wilf, as we like to call him, makes his return against Spartak Moscow. This allows the gaffer to keep the Tielemans-Soumare pivot for a little while longer, while also creating a stronger cup side to progress in competitions.

That would see a 4-2-1-3 likely return, with the Nigerian taking up his traditional place as the defensive beast, alongside a progressive and a creative player in midfield.

The second option could be to relegate Soumare to cup duties and bring the critical midfielder back into the Premier League games. This would see Wilf start against Leeds United. Whether Rodgers would change formation is up to debate.

My expectation in this scenario is for the formation to change ever so slightly into a 3-4-3 with Ndidi and the Belgian ‘starman’ in midfield, and the dynamic wingers Harvey Barnes and Ademola Lookman up front with Jamie Vardy.

Which scenario do you think is most likely? Let Foxes of Leicester know on our social media channels and get involved in the conversation.