Stephy Mavididi has been ruled out of Leicester City’s home clash with Portsmouth after failing to recover from a hamstring injury in time — with the winger absent from the matchday squad entirely.
The 26-year-old had missed City’s win over Swansea before the international break, and despite hopes of a return, he wasn’t deemed fit enough to make the bench for Saturday’s game.
His absence is a blow for Marti Cifuentes, who had hinted during his pre-match press conference that Mavididi was “getting very close” to full fitness but stopped short of confirming his availability.
“The only one is Stephy,” Cifuentes said on Friday.
“He’s still recovering from a small muscular issue, but he’s getting very close. We’ll see (if he can play a part). We’re assessing. I like to sit with the medical team and listen to them, sit with the player, and then make a decision.
“Stephy is a very important player for us and it will be good news the sooner he is back. At the same time, we want to make sure that when he’s back, there are no setbacks or new issues.”
Mavididi’s absence means Jeremy Monga retains his place on the left wing, with the youngster impressing in recent weeks. The Foxes will again look to his energy and directness to provide the spark in attack as they aim to continue their good run of form.
The good news for City is that all of their returning internationals — including Abdul Fatawu — are fit and available. Fatawu made his long-awaited comeback for Ghana earlier this month, his first international outing since suffering an ACL injury nearly a year ago.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid also returned to camp after scoring for Jamaica, though he begins on the bench this evening, with Aaron Ramsey expected to feature more prominently after training consistently during the break.
“Everybody who went away has come back in good shape,” Cifuentes added.
“The last ones were Hamza (Choudhury) and Bobby after long trips. They’re in good condition, and Bobby’s in a good mood after scoring a good goal.
“It was great news for Abdul and Jordan (Ayew), qualifying for the World Cup with Ghana. Overall, it was a positive international break.”
Mavididi will now continue his rehabilitation with hopes of returning to action before the end of the month, as Leicester push to maintain momentum in the Championship title race.