Man United v Leicester: Fitness of Wesley Fofana, Ademola Lookman

It’s now the business end of the season for Leicester City as they enter a crucial two months that will make or break their 2021/22 campaign. A two-legged tie against Dutch giants, PSV, offers a pulsating 180 minutes in the Conference League. Before the first leg though, they first need to pay Old Trafford a visit when they take on Manchester United in the Premier League.

Historically, Old Trafford has been a tough venue for the Foxes, with the 2016 1-1 draw and last year’s 2-1 victory being the key outliers. United currently sit sixth in the league but have endured a turbulent few weeks of late. Only one win in their last five has left Red Devil’s fans scratching their heads. Having already been knocked out of the FA Cup, United didn’t play at the weekend, instead their players were left to mull over their Champions League exit to the hands of Atletico Madrid in mid-week.

Leicester City, on the other hand, are coming into the game with three victories from their last five and are – game by game – looking a much better side. A loss to the hands of a top Arsenal team aside, the Foxes have been slowly rebuilding their form and are currently 10th in the league – level with Aston Villa on 36 points who are 9th on goal difference.

A win, let alone a win at Old Trafford, would be a huge boost for Rodgers as they aim to continue to their upturn in form ahead of a packed schedule. To do this, the Foxes will need their best squad possible. After their recent 2-1 win over Brentford, Rodgers gave updates on two key players who missed out of the squad entirely: Wesley Fofana and Ademola Lookman.

Leicester City fitness updates: Wesley Fofana

The crux of Leicester’s defensive frailties this season, Wesley Fofana’s return to competitive action was greatly encouraging for fans in a spirited 2-1 loss away to Rennes last week. From the offset, it was clear how much the team has missed him.

Having been injured horrifically in pre-season, many fans worried that we wouldn’t see Fofana for the entire season. Instead, the young Frenchman has defied the odds; making a remarkable recovery and immediately looking back to his best.

Of course, the cherry on the cake was Fofana scoring his first ever goal for the Foxes, and what a crucial one it was. His header changed the look of the game and – despite late hope for Rennes – saw LCFC win the tie 3-2.

It was unsurprising to see him come off on the 78th minute, however, many were worried when Fofana didn’t even make the bench for the Brentford game. Speaking after the game, Rodgers calmed those nerves, simply stating that he was managing Fofana’s return to the squad:

"“It was just too big a risk, […] he’ll get to a point like JJ where he can come into a game and play and then play again. But we couldn’t take any risks with him, he was a little bit tight and sore. He’ll be fine for the next game.” Brendan Rodgers, speaking to the Leicester Mercury"

Having just got him back, the last thing Leicester need is for Fofana to be rushed back into the fold and picking up a muscular injury. Leaving him out, after such an intense 78 minutes in France, to aid his recovery from his first game in seven months was a smart call by Rodgers.

Barring any knocks in training, Fofana should be back starting against United next Saturday. However, I would be surprised if he lasted the full 90 just yet, with the coaching team having one eye on the PSV game the following Thursday.

In Fofana’s absence, we did get to see Jonny Evans on the pitch for the first time in December when he came off from the bench on Sunday. His return will be slower than Fofana’s due to his age and the nature of his recent injuries. Perhaps we’ll see an Evans-Fofana substitution in Manchester.

Ademola Lookman

The other notable absence against Brentford, there was some outrage on social media at the prospect of Lookman being dropped for the game, especially considering Marc Albrighton’s injury in France. Lookman came on for Albrighton early in the first half and added a new dimension to the attack. It’s the same story as has been during the whole season for Lookman: whenever he is on the pitch, he looks lively and dangerous.

The winger – on loan from parent club RB Leipzig – eventually provided a brilliant ball in from a corner which was met by Fofana and got the Foxes’ level on the night and further ahead in the overall tie. It was Lookman’s 5th assist for Leicester and his 11th direct goal involvement this season, having played 31 games.

Having been subbed on in the 12th minute, Lookman and Rodgers weren’t anticipating him to play 80 minutes, and so he was subbed off for Ricardo on the 79th; a move that confused some, but was a sensible choice for managing the squad.

Rodgers later revealed that Lookman was initially a doubt for the Rennes game due to illness, however he came through to play a pivotal role. The revelation of Lookman’s illness was the explanation for his absence on Sunday, however he has since flown out with Kelechi Iheanacho to join the Nigeria squad ahead of their upcoming games.

Lookman’s international allegiance change was confirmed earlier this year, choosing to pursue his international career with Nigeria having played his youth football for England. Yesterday Lookman offered the above message for Super Eagles fans on Twitter.

And the 24-year-old is clearly delighted at the prospect of playing his first senior international game. Providing that he gets through the international window without injury, the winger will be back in contention when the Foxes meet ‘Utd’ next week – hopefully as a newly capped Nigerian player.