Marti Cifuentes has chosen to remove Bilal El Khannouss “out of the spotlight” amid the attacking midfielder’s uncertain future at Leicester City.
El Khannouss is absent from the squad for City’s Championship match at Charlton, having been replaced at half-time the previous weekend. In his stead, 17-year-old Louis Page earns his initial senior start.
A transfer target for Crystal Palace as they search for a substitute for Arsenal-bound Eberechi Eze, El Khannouss has dominated headlines this week, and City manager Cifuentes said it hasn’t been the smoothest for him.
“Bilal is a fantastic young player, very talented,” Cifuentes told Sky Sports in his pre-match interview.
“We felt it was not the easiest week and in the end we decided to take him out of the spotlight, just because I think it’s the best for him and for the team.”
Elsewhere, James Justin is excluded due to the dead leg he sustained at Preston that has hampered his movement during the week, with Hamza Choudhury stepping in at right-back.
It’s also noted that Stephy Mavididi has a slight muscle injury and thus he sits out, with Jeremy Monga given the first league start of his career.
Oliver Skipp takes over for Harry Winks in midfield as the final of Cifuentes’ four adjustments.