James Justin was forced to leave Leicester City’s 2-1 loss to Preston due to an injury that could potentially disrupt a transfer to Leeds United.
Justin started as captain for City once again at Deepdale despite uncertainty surrounding his long-term future at the club, with Leeds eager to bring the adaptable full-back to the Premier League.
However, he was unable to finish the match. With about 15 minutes remaining, Justin was fouled by Jordan Storey and needed attention from City’s medical team.
After a brief period, it was determined he could not carry on, and he limped off the field and down the tunnel, with Hamza Choudhury stepping in to replace him.
“He unfortunately got a kick on the leg,” City manager Marti Cifuentes said when asked about Justin’s injury status.
“The medical team is assessing. I don’t know exactly what the outcome is. Hopefully it’s not an injury, or a big injury at least.”
With only one year remaining on his contract at the King Power Stadium, a transfer this summer seems increasingly probable to avoid losing him for free next year.
Leeds have been in advanced negotiations for Justin in recent days, aiming to secure the 27-year-old to strengthen their full-back options, but that didn’t prevent Cifuentes from naming him captain again.
If the injury proves severe, it might cause Leeds to reconsider their interest, leaving Justin to stay with Leicester.
However, for Cifuentes, the more pressing concern will be determining who fills the right-back role against Charlton next weekend, as City aim to recover their form.
Choudhury is a possibility, but Ricardo Pereira may be fit and ready to make his first competitive appearance under the new manager.
Pereira resumed training at the beginning of last week after a month sidelined with a hamstring issue and was part of the squad that traveled to Deepdale.
In wearing the armband for the first two Championship matches, Justin has been standing in for Ricardo, who was appointed the club’s new captain at the start of the season.