Gary Rowett must get more out of Leicester underperformer to seal survival

Gary Rowett has a tough job on his hands to secure Leicester City's Championship status.

Docked six points for breaching EFL regulations, the Foxes are severely down on their luck at the moment in the second tier, with zero wins in all competitions across February, hardly injecting positivity into proceedings.

Yet, Rowett could well prove to a stablising presence that is needed for the short-term, with three draws collected from his opening four games in charge, showing there's life in the tired animal still.

Certain senior Leicester individuals need to up their performance levels as well, otherwise the Foxes could be falling to League One, for the first time since they won the title at the low-ranking level at the close of the 2008-09 campaign.

In particular, Abdul Fatawu has to get back to his magical best, as the Ghanaian forward is one of the most spellbinding attacking talents to watch on his day, across the entire division.

Fatawu at his Leicester best

Premier League clubs such as Sunderland and Everton were reportedly lining up for Fatawu's services last summer, with the 22-year-old well-known to be an outrageous player to take in, when he's at full flow in the Championship.

Indeed, during the 2023/24 season - which saw Enzo Maresca guide Leicester to the Championship title - Fatawu was unplayable at points for defenders to try and thwart, with a sublime six goals and 13 assists falling into his lap from just 33 starts.

Injury difficulties plagued his following Premier League campaign, but he did bounce back in style during the early stages of this topsy-turvy season, with a sizeable eight goals and seven assists next to his name currently, from 35 league clashes.

Yet, his recent performances have left a bad taste in the mouth, as the often showboating winger has failed to find the back of the net across his last three Championship outings.

But, instead of chucking him to one side, after a heated exchange with Harry Winks also recently stole the headlines, Rowett must surely persist, as his individual moments of brilliance could be key to picking up some much-needed victories between now and May rolling around.

Why Rowett should persist with Fatawu

In an alternate reality, Leicester might have been better placed to cash in on Fatawu during the off-season, as a £30m price tag was touted for his services.

Yet, if he wasn't around whatsoever, Leicester could well be in even deeper relegation strife, with the Foxes star only kept off the top of the goalscoring charts this season for Rowett's men by the emergence of nine-goal hero Jordan James.

Leicester fans will just want to see more grit and determination from the former Sporting youngster, as he is sometimes prone to be selfish, and wanting to do it all himself, to add to his glittering highlights reel of audacious strikes.

But, when it works, it's a joy to behold, and Leicester undoubtedly need a maverick to get them out of their sticky situation at the moment.

Rowett is also well-known to be a calming man-manager, and so he will try his utmost to get Fatawu back to those £30m levels again.

Relegation will almost certainly see Fatawu be moved on, with survival also likely opening up an exit route for the 22-year-old to depart.

Until those summer-time shenanigans take place, though, the exciting winger could repair his slightly dented Leicester reputation by powering home the strikes that ensure Rowett and Co. don't fall foul of the sobering fate of back-to-back relegations.