Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga may not feature again before Christmas after sustaining an injury.
Monga was missing from the City squad that claimed victory at Derby on Saturday, and manager Marti Cifuentes confirmed he had a muscle issue, one that could sideline him for a couple of weeks.
It now appears highly likely that he will sit out the upcoming clashes against Bristol City and Ipswich this week, and he may not return in time to face QPR in the final fixture before Christmas either.
City are also continuing to evaluate Boubakary Soumare, who picked up a knee problem during training. The French midfielder was also unavailable at Pride Park.
It means City look set to be without seven players for their journey to Ashton Gate on Wednesday. Caleb Okoli (knee), Aaron Ramsey (hamstring) and Victor Kristiansen (knee) all remain sidelined, while Harry Souttar still requires further time on the training pitch after his year-long layoff with an Achilles rupture.
Harry Winks’ exclusion due to a “technical decision” does not make his prospects of returning soon appear encouraging, with his future now uncertain as the January transfer period approaches.
Fortunately for City, both Jakub Stolarczyk and Ben Nelson returned to full fitness at Derby, with each going straight back into the starting lineup and impressing with strong performances.
Discussing Nelson, Cifuentes said: “It was tough for us because from the moment he started to get the momentum, he played really well before that injury, then it was a blow for all of us.
“But he has shown a very good pro mindset to be back as soon as possible. I have a lot of trust in him and he responded with an excellent performance in a week that has not been easy.
“Unfortunately, we got two more injuries in the form of Bouba and Jeremy. Jeremy is more of a muscular thing. Hopefully we are talking about a few days, perhaps one to two weeks. Hopefully it’s not a big one. Bouba, we need to know more about him.
“To have players coming back is so important and it’s a busy period, so the way the team responded to this adversity is very good.”
By the time they meet QPR, City may also be without Patson Daka, with the striker expected to be named in the Zambia squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.