Following Marti Cifuentes’ recent sacking, a chance for players out of contention to return is back on the cards. City currently sit 14th in the Championship, while also suffering from an injury crisis and no January business. As a result, with all the issues, could Harry Winks return to the Leicester lineup? The midfielder hasn’t featured since being hooked at half-time against Sheffield United back in November. Clashes with staff and even some players in training the following week have led to his absence for the last two months. However, with Andy King now in the hot seat, is a return on the cards against Charlton Athletic?
Once Intergal Player Set To Return Ahead Of Must-Win Clash
Andy King has his say on Harry Winks’ situation
Ahead of this weekend’s game, King made his stance clear on whether the midfielder can return. He said: Potentially. Like everybody, he’s been training with the group, and like you say, we’re short with injuries.” As a result, the former England international is available for the game against the Addicks. However, it is also important not to read too much into this. In the many games following Winks’ fallout with Cifuentes, he said he was available, yet the 29-year-old never featured. This remained consistent through tough patches of form, and even when Leicester were severely reduced to options last weekend.
Read More: Marti Cifuentes Sacked
As it stands, both Jordan James and Oliver Skipp are currently on the sidelines with injuries from the Wrexham game. This duo have been a major reason for Winks’ absence as they have proved good enough to start week in week out. James has found the net on nine occasions already this season, whilst Skipp has had his own revival at the heart of the City midfield. In addition to their absences, Boubakary Soumare has missed much of the season. However, his recent departure to Al Duhail in Qatar also opens up the space for Winks, as only Hamza Choudhury and Louis Page are fit to start.
Although the two academy graduates have their own strengths, against Oxford, they struggled. Choudhury’s ability to get on the ball in deep areas and dictate isn’t necessarily good enough, as he excels in ball-winning and covering ground. On the other hand, Page is more attacking and is at his best when he’s picking his passes in the final third or making late runs into the box. Therefore, with the lack of a metronome that can add control, it’s easy to see why Winks could return.
How Does it Affect Leicester?
For many City fan it’s incredibly hard to get behind Winks and want him to be back in the team. In his two and half seasons at the club, he’s fallen out with three of the four managers. In Steve Cooper’s case, he was partying the day after his sacking, and held a card saying ‘ I miss u Enzo’. With Ruud Van Nistelrooy, he refused to stay at the training ground, which led to him missing nine games at the end of the season. Furthermore, this season, he walked off the pitch without clapping the fans away at Preston and then had disagreements with the coaching staff. For a player to have this many issues, while being on some of the highest wages in the entire league, is abysmal.
Read More: Leicester Set to Receive £2 Million Wage Bailout
As a result, many Leicester supporters won’t want this toxicity back. Not to mention the fact that his contract is also out of contract in the summer, which means he definitely won’t still be at the King Power next season. If Winks does come back into the fold, then he could be taking minutes off Skipp, Page and Choudhury, all of whom could be pivotal next season.
In terms of performances, even when Winks has featured, he hasn’t lit the league up as he did under Enzo Maresca. The Italian coach was a major admirer of Winks and even likened him to a ‘Ferrari’, due to the way he kept the ball and progressed it forward. However, ever since then, he hasn’t reached the same heights. This season, his lack of athleticism has caused major problems, as he isn’t able to cover ground and be physical. Therefore, is it worth bringing him back, with all the repercussions to follow?
Featured Image Credit:
IMAGO / Action Plus
