Leicester City secured their first win in 39 days at the weekend as they beat Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup.
It was a dominant display from the Foxes, who thrashed QPR 6-2 to earn themselves a place in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup.
The Foxes’ reward is a trip to Manchester United, where Ruud van Nistelrooy will return for the first time since his brief role as interim manager.
There was plenty to be impressed about by Leicester’s emphatic win at the King Power Stadium and Gary Lineker admitted that one part of the weekend victory impressed him more than anything else.
- READ MORE: ‘Wake up call’… Leicester City star hails Ruud van Nistelrooy’s impact on Foxes dressing room
Gary Lineker praises Ruud van Nistelrooy for Leicester team selection
With Leicester’s Premier League form a real concern, there was a sense of expectation that Van Nistelrooy would rotate the squad given that they face Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.
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To everybody’s surprise, however, Van Nistelrooy named his strongest starting XI available to him and it duly paid off as Facundo Buonanotte and Bilal El Khannouss were singled out for their incredible performances.
Wout Faes also put himself back into first team contention with a strong display and Lineker admitted that it was refreshing to see Leicester go strong, as well as cite the confidence boost it could give the side.
Speaking on the Rest is Football Podcast, he said: “I was pleased with the Leicester result yesterday [Saturday].
“I know it’s QPR at home and you should expect to win but I was really pleased he played a strong first team because most teams at the bottom fighting relegation go ‘right, we’ll throw the FA Cup’ or play a second string team.
“You can understand why but I was pleased because I think often if the team is doing well, they can do that in the cup and lose momentum and if they’re doing badly, it drags down the morale even more if you play a reserve team and lose.
“He played a strong team, Leicester had an emphatic victory and it might give them a bit of confidence in the forthcoming weeks.”
Leicester to face Man United in FA Cup Fourth Round
An away trip to Man United would normally be considered a glamour tie for the Foxes, but this will mean the two teams will meet four times across the course of the season.
Leicester were beaten 5-2 in the Carabao Cup and 3-1 in the Premier League, with Van Nistelrooy in charge of United on both occasions.
Now under Ruben Amorim, the Red Devils have been inconsistent at the best of times however, Leicester’s record at Old Trafford is horrible to say the least.
The Foxes have won their once since the turn of the century, back in 2021 when they were 2-1 winners behind closed doors during the covid-19-impacted season.