Leicester City were in Premier League action against fellow strugglers Ipswich Town over the weekend.
The Foxes headed into the game no doubt desperate to pick up a much-needed three points and put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone.
Prior to the weekend, Leicester City lost 3-1 vs Nottingham Forest in their previous Premier League fixture and were sat 15th in the division.
Ipswich, meanwhile, were 18th and still winless going into the meeting with Steve Cooper’s side.
While on paper the Midlands outfit were presented with a very winnable game, Leicester drew 1-1 with Ipswich.
It was a disappointing showing from Cooper’s men, who remain 15th in the Premier League table and five points above the bottom three.
The Leicester manager made a couple of changes to his usual starting line-up for the draw, dropping right-back James Justin and centre-back Caleb Okoli.
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Steve Cooper hints at future James Justin plan after Ipswich Town
Okoli has been in top form for Leicester since his arrival over the summer, with his exclusion from the starting line-up pretty surprising.
The fact Cooper actually dropped Justin for the Ipswich draw was even more shocking, however.
Before Saturday, the right-back had played every minute of Premier League football for Leicester in 2024/25 and started in the Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester United earlier in the week.
Now, as per Leicestershire Live, Cooper has explained why Justin and Okoli were dropped for the clash and hinted the duo are ‘ready to come back in’ this week.
He said: “The two that came out, Caleb’s new to the club and JJ’s been here a while. They’ve played most of the games and played the other night.
“We’ve got the opportunity to make those changes now. Sometimes leaving a player out is not them being dropped, it’s about them taking a deep breath and getting them ready to come back in.”
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Steve Cooper should not start James Justin for Leicester City vs Manchester United
Cooper’s comments suggest Justin will be back in the eleven this weekend when Leicester take on Manchester United.
However, a return to the team for the Englishman could seriously cost the Foxes against the Manchester outfit.
Justin was awful versus Manchester United in the Carabao Cup last week, playing a role in four of the Red Devils’ five goals on the night.
This was not the first time the right-back has been exposed defensively this season, with Justin costing Leicester plenty of goals in the league as well.
So, after being terrorised by Alejandro Garnacho less than a week ago, it would not make sense for Cooper to bring Justing back into the team this weekend.