Wilfred Ndidi has been ruled out of Leicester City’s Premier League clash with Manchester City on Saturday.
The midfielder has missed his side’s past two games – draws with Chelsea and Wolves – due to a knee problem.
Manager Brendan Rodgers says he will not rush Ndidi back to face the champions and risk any setbacks in his recovery.
“Wilf won’t be available for the weekend,” Rodgers told reporters on Thursday. “He’s still in a process to try and get fit, so we’ll see how he is next week. I’m not sure.
“He’s doing work inside, but you then have to progress that to outside and then when he can join the team. It’s another intensity to join the team and then to play.
“We just want to make sure he’s right because he’s such an important player for us. It’s about the long term, too. There’s no timeline on it. We’ll see how he progresses.”
Ndidi’s absence presents Rodgers with a problem in midfield, with Hamza Choudhury suspended for the game against Pep Guardiola’s side and Nampalys Mendy also out with a knee injury.
“They’re three excellent players and obviously we have to find a strategy and a plan to come up with a game that can see us try and get three points,” he said.
“Wilf has obviously played more, but all three give you that defensive solidity, which is important for any team. They’re not available, so we can’t worry about that.”
Rodgers went on to distance Leicester from an approach for Adam Lallana, who is expected to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
“I’ve seen a lot of stuff around Adam and that we’ve approached Liverpool, which isn’t the case,” said Rodgers, who signed the player for Liverpool from Southampton in 2014.
“He’s at the stage of his contract where he will have options.”
Leicester, who are third, go into the game four points behind Manchester City in the table, having only won three of their past 10 league games.
