Leicester City have returned from the international break with more of a whimper, than a bang, as two unsatisfactory draws in the Championship had to be stomached over the Easter Weekend.
Wins are desperately needed, with Gary Rowett only steering the relegation-doomed Foxes to one victory from nine, since attempting to pick up the pieces from Marti Cifuentes' short-lived reign.
No wins were collected over the bumper Easter Weekend, as Leicester had to make do with a 2-2 draw against Preston North End, and a 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday, despite dominating large portions of both contests.
Rowett would have loved to have Jordan James available for selection at the King Power, and at Hillsborough, but an untimely injury concern has popped up, involving one of Leicester's brightest sparks in attack.
The latest on James' injury
The worry will always be there, in the back of your mind as a domestic manager, that your star player might well come back from international duty, struck down by injury.
Those worst fears have come true for Rowett, as James returned from Wales' World Cup playoff showdown with Bosnia and Herzegovina nursing an injury after stumbling awkwardly mid-match.
He hasn't featured in April for the Foxes, subsequently, with a further blow now on the horizon, as it has been revealed by Rowett that James could miss out again, as Swansea City travel to the King Power this coming weekend.
Rowett said, when quizzed on when his star man would be back: “JJ had a fitness test for the first game which made it seem like he wasn’t far away. By having a fitness test he’s maybe aggravated it a little bit. It didn’t quite feel like he was close for this one."
It appears that James' desire to be back and available for his loan employers, in their time of great need, has aggravated the strain he pulled up with on international duty, leading to him being sidelined for longer.
Time is ticking for Leicester to sort out their relegation mess, and with James continually finding himself out of the lineup due to injury, the worry will be that the Foxes will fall to League One for the first time since 2008.
Why Leicester must get James to full fitness quickly
The Rennes loanee has stood out as a ray of positivity all season, even when dark clouds have hung over proceedings.
Picking up an electric ten goals and four assists this campaign to date as an electric livewire, his ability to conjure up a moment of magic - from nothing - was sorely missing from the lifeless attacking display at Hillsborough.
Incredible goal from Jordan James 😍
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 4, 2025
The Wales international produces a beauty for Leicester@LCFC | @EFL pic.twitter.com/3UDUnJPBPS
Indeed, Rowett had to opt for Divine Mukasa, in place of the injury-stricken Welshman, and the exciting youngster just couldn't find his groove in South Yorkshire, with only one weak effort attempted at Pierce Charles' net.
It's crucial to Leicester's fading survival chances that James is back fit soon, as the Foxes' form, when he's out the side, makes for some grim reading.
James has missed eight of the last 13 Leicester matches, through several injury niggles, and the Midlands outfit have failed to win any of these games, when he has been absent.
If he remains in the King Power treatment room, this staggering statistic really doesn't bode well for their survival prospects.
Hopefully, the unfortunate number six can feature soon, with Leicester in must-win territory, no matter who their next opponent is in the unrelenting Championship.