Leicester City will be hoping that worries surrounding defender Ben Nelson do not come to pass after the centre-half was carried off on a stretcher during the 2-1 victory over Norwich.
Nelson appeared to have sustained a painful ankle issue when he landed awkwardly following a first-half aerial duel at Carrow Road. After several minutes of medical attention, he was stretchered off and replaced by Luke Thomas.
Manager Marti Cifuentes confirmed after the match that Nelson’s ankle had swollen immediately and that the club’s medical team were evaluating the extent of the damage.
An injury would be a major setback for Nelson, particularly as he has only recently secured a place in the starting eleven under Cifuentes, with the 21-year-old making just his second league start of the campaign against Norwich.
A full timescale for his recovery from the ankle setback will become clearer over the coming weeks, but for now, it appears almost certain that Nelson will miss England Under-21 duty at the very least.
“Ben was very unlucky because he was again playing very well in the first 20 minutes and then it seems like on the landing he landed badly on his ankle,” Cifuentes said in his post-match press conference.
“It was very swollen immediately. They’re doing some tests with him now. Hopefully it’s not a big one.”
To make matters worse for City, Nelson wasn’t the only centre-half forced off through injury. Caleb Okoli was withdrawn late in the second half after also suffering a heavy fall.
“With Caleb, again it was his landing after a set-play situation,” Cifuentes added. “He felt a lot of pain in and around his shoulder.
“They’re unlucky situations but hopefully they’re going to be alright.”
If both Nelson and Okoli are ruled out, that would mean three of City’s seven sidelined players are central defenders, with Harry Souttar only just reaching the stage where he can resume full training.
Goalkeepers Jakub Stolarczyk and Stevie Bausor, left-back Victor Kristiansen, and attacking midfielder Aaron Ramsey also remain unavailable.