What’s going on at Leicester City as 9 senior players injured

Short-term absences 

The one injury that is no fault of Rodgers or his staff, Dennis Praet suffered a knock to his ribs when contesting a 50-50 with Joelinton against Newcastle. Praet came off worse and the Belgian had to be subbed off.

Thankfully, Rodgers revealed that the 28-year-old is back in training ahead of the game against Gillingham and may have a chance of featuring, though this is most likely from the bench. His recovery is a major boost for a decimated midfield and attack.

His return should be carefully monitored though. Praet’s recent injury record is pretty poor; the midfielder missed over 100 days of football last season whilst on loan to Torino. He suffered several issues and required foot surgery during his troubled spell in Italy.

Another good piece of news was that Patson Daka has all-but recovered from his hamstring scare which saw him subbed off early against Liverpool. Like Praet, he has returned to training and could have a chance on the bench on Saturday, though I suspect they may rest him with Vardy and Iheanacho both capable replacements.

Rodgers’ justification

The list doesn’t make for pretty reading, but the breakdown is worse. Of those nine out, six of them are muscle related. Only two of the nine – Maddison and KDH – suffered their injuries outside of a game. The two most serious injuries, Justin and Pereira, are repeats of previous serious issues, whilst Maddison’s is also a familiar problem. Worst of all, however, is that six of the list have suffered their injuries in the last month.

So, with an ever-growing list of injured players, what was Rodgers’ reasoning for the crisis? According to him, it’s a small squad. This is what the manager had to say after the Fulham game:

"“What you have to look at are players having to play a lot of games because the squad is so small. We played the other night in a really intense game [at Liverpool]. We virtually did nothing but recover until tonight. Then it [KDH’s injury] happens in the warm-up. “You’re always assessing the injuries, how they happen, and whether you can prevent them, that’s always the case. I think the reality for us is that the squad is very small and a lot of players are having to play games where I want to take them out. “For example, Luke Thomas, I’d love to have been able to give him a breather, but he’s our only left-back. That’s where we’re at.” Quotes via LeicestershireLive"