Maresca can replace Vestergaard by unleashing £75k-p/w brute

Rampant, explosive and domineering are all three words associated with Leicester City’s start to the Championship campaign and their eight wins from nine is the joint-best start in the competition’s history.

Threatening to run away with the title, the Foxes’ only defeat of the season came against Hull City with Enzo Maresca’s troops responding to that loss in fine fashion by beating Southampton, Norwich City, Bristol City and Blackburn.

Standing in their way of making it a fifth consecutive victory tonight are Preston North End, who some would say are the surprise package so far this season, with the Lilywhites sitting pretty in third place.

Ryan Lowe’s side began the campaign with six wins from seven but have been brought back down to earth in recent weeks, slumping to a 1-1 draw against Rotherham before West Brom handed them a 4-0 pasting last time out.

While Leicester are hot favourites to keep up their rapid pace at the top, a growing list of injury absentees have given Maresca some key decisions to make ahead of this contest.

What is the latest Leicester City team news?

As revealed by Maresca on Tuesday, Kasey McAteer will miss the clash against Preston with a hamstring injury and looks set to be sidelined for up to six weeks which means that teenage star Abdul Issahaku will keep his place on the right flank.

21-year-old McAteer has made a sharp rise onto the scene this season and is one of the Championship’s hottest prospects, with the starlet chipping in with four goals in seven appearances.

Belgian midfielder Dennis Praet, meanwhile, remains out of contention but could return to action within the next month.

Leicester’s most notable absentee is Jannik Vestegaard, who is suspended for this match after accumulating his fifth yellow card of the campaign in the 4-1 victory over Blackburn.

The Denmark international, labelled as a “monster” by Squawka on social media for his performances in Germany, has bounced back from a torrid campaign last term to become one of the most influential players under Maresca.

Buying into his managers possession-based style by impressing with the ball at his feet, the 31-year-old ranks in the 3% for pass completion when compared to his positional peers in the Championship, top 1% for passes attempted and top 3% for carries while also impressing with his ability to sniff out danger and win the physical challenges, placing within the top 5% for aerial duels won, top 19% for clearances and top 27% for interceptions, as per FBref.

Vestegaard’s impact in the defensive realm has been colossus and will undoubtedly be a big miss, however, his absence offers another player the chance to put in a worthy audition for a spot in the starting XI.

Who should replace Jannik Vestegaard?

24-year-old Harry Souttar has shown promise when given the opportunity, but the likely replacement for the great Dane is summer signing Conor Coady.

Since arriving at the club for £7.5m, the Englishman has spent the majority of his time recovering from a fractured foot and has only featured for the Foxes on one occasion, playing a full ninety minutes in their 3-1 defeat in the Carabao Cup against Liverpool a week ago.

Now fully recovered from his excruciating injury, the 30-year-old is ready to step out of the shadows and command the Foxes back line, using his leadership qualities that were previously described by Gareth Southgate as “infectious” after he captained and scored a goal for England in a 3-0 friendly win against Wales in September 2020.

When Coady dropped to the Championship, he left many in a state of shock as they felt he could still do a solid job at Premier League level having played in 24 of Everton’s 38 matches last term.

However, the £75k per-week brute felt dropping down to the second-tier was the best option for his career and was attracted by the project at Leicester, announcing his delight in an interview with Leicester’s official website, saying: “I’m over the moon.”

If Coady can replicate the performances that saw him lead Wolverhampton Wanderers into the Europa League, Foxes supporters will certainly be over the moon.