The end of the international break signifies a return to Premier League action for Leicester City, who face a daunting trip to Manchester City.
Leicester head into that clash at the Etihad Stadium with the stuffing well and truly knocked out of them after losing 13 of their last 14 matches in the league.
It’s seen Ruud van Nistelrooy create unwanted Premier League history, becoming the first team to lose seven in a row without scoring.
Although Van Nistelrooy shared a positive injury update on Ricardo Pereira in Monday’s press conference, no one can see them stealing a positive result away from the champions.
The Dutchman also commented on how one player is currently feeling about his lack of starting chances, even during a period that has brought one win in 14 matches.
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Oliver Skipp ‘keeps fighting’ to start for Leicester City
The 2024 summer transfer window was a complete disaster and unfortunately, Oliver Skipp highlighted how poor their business was.
Leicester signed Skipp for £20 million from Tottenham, with Steve Cooper feeling his arrival would have strengthened their midfield.
Sadly, the 24-year-old has faced limited opportunities at the King Power Stadium, starting just once under Van Nistelrooy – the 4-0 defeat against Newcastle United in December.
Skipp was awful against Newcastle and unsurprisingly lost his place in the starting lineup once Wilfred Ndidi and Boubakary Soumare were both available, with Van Nistelrooy preferring that duo.
Speaking ahead of their trip to the Etihad, the Leicester manager has explained that Skipp ‘keeps fighting’ to start but there are better options ahead of him.
“He was a big signing at the beginning of the season,” Van Nistelrooy said. “The expectations are obviously difficult for him.
“The character and the team member he is, and how he wants to help the team all the time, is an example. If he keeps working like this, he will be in a better place.
“He shows every day in training he’s reacting really well in the sense he keeps fighting and keeps pushing for his place.
“At the moment, four or five players are out of the squad because of the numbers.
“Most of the time it’s a tactical decision about how many defenders I need on the bench – Jannik Vestergaard is another one (missing out) – how many midfielders, how many attackers, what the substitution possibilities are, what I need in the game.
“When players are giving maximum effort in training, then it’s a tactical decision.”
Leicester could have signed Liam Delap instead of Skipp
Leicester fans have blasted Jon Rudkin for their scattergun recruitment, making the wrong decisions on signing players and throwing money down the drain.
Skipp is a prime example of paying over the odds for a player when there were better options in the market who would have improved their squad.
City needed a striker to replace Jamie Vardy, something they still haven’t resolved now, and they could have captured Liam Delap for the same amount they paid for Skipp.
Delap was available for £20 million and was snapped up by relegation rivals Ipswich Town. The 22-year-old has since scored 10 Premier League goals this term and has impressed everyone in the division.
Indeed, with Ipswich also staring relegation in the face, they will be forced into offloading Delap and could easily pocket double, or maybe even triple the amount they paid.
That could have been Leicester staring at pound signs but instead, they’re stuck with Skipp, whose value has plummeted.