The “worst-case scenario” for Leicester City was Callum Doyle’s injury because the team was double up on all positions but the one held by the loanee from Manchester City.
He won’t play again until the new year, and it appears that James Justin will take his place the majority of the time, though he will occasionally require a break. Maresca doesn’t seem to be turning to the guy that filled Doyle’s spot during the international break, either.
Tom Wilson-Brown was called up to the first team to practice by Maresca because Doyle would be playing for England Under-21s in the September games. He fits the bill because he is a left-footed center back who can also play left back. He has also consistently supported City’s Under-21 team this season.
Maresca, though, has argued that it is premature to consider the 18-year-old. Despite players like Kasey McAteer and Wanya Marcal moving up from the development squad and excelling this season, this is the case.
Wilson-Brown visited us two or three times solely to fill Callum’s post, according to Maresca. However, he is now playing for the second team, therefore we are not considering him in Callum’s place. He could, however, assist us in the future. He still has work to do.
Victor Kristiansen would still be working at the club and replacing Doyle if Maresca had his way. The Danish player moved in the final week of the transfer window to join Bologna in Italy because he had no interest in playing a hybrid position that would have required him to play as a center defender for the most of each game.
And things are going very nicely. Kristiansen played the whole 90 minutes as Bologna defeated Empoli 3-0 over the weekend. The left-back’s new team has gone undefeated in all five of their Serie A contests, which is the longest winning streak in the league. Additionally, in their previous four games, they had four clean sheets.
Marcal might come back in shape.
Doyle’s replacement is not Maresca’s only concern. Since Kasey McAteer injured his hamstring at Blackburn, he will now be out for at least a month.
Despite McAteer being the top scorer, City doesn’t have much of an issue because they have a lot of wide alternatives and Wanya Marcal as a backup. The Portuguese winger has been sent back to the Under-21s since he hasn’t participated in any of City’s last six games and hasn’t even sat on the bench.
But he will be in good shape if he is promoted back to the first team for the match against Preston. He contributed a goal and an assist.
In November, Braybrooke and Alves returned.
The children of Ben Petty just need to wait a little over a month to have their ranks bolstered. According to their schedules, Will Alves and Sammy Braybrooke should be able to play for the Under-21s in early to mid November, which is five to six weeks from now.
The pair, who are among the club’s top prospects, both experienced ACL tears within a month of one another last winter, and they have been gradually accelerating their recoveries ever since. Maresca has stated that he will evaluate them once they are available and actively competing once more.
