A slightly unexpected yet positive inclusion occurred for Foxes fans to get their collective heads around on Saturday afternoon. When Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes' starting lineup for Oxford United was announced, a few gasps could be heard from City supporters. LCFC's Blue Army fan base had already suffered a shock to the system in the week when star player (though only a loanee at present) Jordan James was substituted against Wrexham.
The Stade Rennais man went down twice before his Catalonian gaffer saw fit to remove him. Much of the City faithful were upset that Cifuentes wanted to employ a 'wait and see' policy with regard to the best performing footballer on the roster. But there you have it; it was seemingly a mistake not to act considering the issue was a hamstring. And we all know the East Midlanders' history with that particular debilitating problem for athletes. Though we presume he worked in tandem with the medical staff.
James's absence meant an obvious gap to fill; replacing the irreplaceable is not an easy task, as we saw with Jamie Vardy of course. Unfortunately for Leicester, the former's midfield partner is also unavailable. Oliver Skipp is undergoing concussion protocol and was ill as well, it was said. So which Fox came into the side?
A pleasant surprise for Foxes fans transpired upon release of Leicester City's starting lineup versus Oxford United
This is the team to face the U's: Jakub Stolarczyk; Ben Nelson, Caleb Okoli, Jannik Vestergaard, Ricardo Pereira; Hamza Choudhury, Louis Page; Stephy Mavididi, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Abdul Fatawu; Jordan Ayew.
As you can see, there wasn't reason for too many raised eyebrows at King Power Stadium. However, deploying 17-year-old Louis Page is a calculated risk from Cifuentes.
"While he started in the FA Cup against Cheltenham a fortnight ago, this will be his first league start since August, when he deputised for wantaway Bilal El Khannouss in attacking midfield."Leicester Mercury
If the selection backfires - the boss will be vilified. If it works - Cifuentes is a 'legend'. Luckily Page is skilled; battling in the middle rather than being a No.10 may be less suitable, though.