At the moment, Leicester City supporters are wondering when one of their favourite players will return to the starting lineup. In fact, the person in question is actually the skipper of the LCFC side, no less. The Portugal international has been a loyal and linkable part of the Foxes squad for many years now, seemingly the longest-serving, non-City academy graduate senior.
Presently, Hamza Choudhury is playing at right back in the strangely named inverted role. Which shold be labelled the dual role or something more accurate. I don't think the Bangladesh National Team representative has done too badly in the awkward position. Choudhury is especially competent when situated in his usual midfield place.
Though many fans of the King Power outfit are unsatisfied with the 27-year-old's continued involvement from the beginning of C'ship games. They would surely prefer Ricardo to be deployed at the start of these crucial fixtures. So why is the Leicester leader not starting? And when will he find himself in manager Marti Cifuentes' XI? Let's have a look at what the former Queens Park Rangers head coach said on the matter exactly.
Why Leicester City captain Ricardo Pereira isn't starting and when he will be
First of all, I would advocate the inclusion of Ricardo over Choudhury, or Luke Thomas for that matter. So that's that argument done on my side. The former is now fit.
But we must ascertain just why the 31-year-old is still not in the team at this stage. Basically, Cifuentes is being careful with one of his prized assets.
The ex-Porto and OGC Nice man missed four months of football last season. A 'serious hamstring' injury was the source of his absence. Keeping Ricardo healthy is paramount for the gaffer.
But the Catalan hinted at Ricardo's imminent involvement. The Boss desired continuity and believes Choudhury has performed well. Although, I envision both the full back and Harry Winks instated soon.
"Cifuentes has admitted that deciding between Ricardo and Choudhury was tough, but that the captain’s injury woes are at the forefront of his mind."Leicester Mercury