Championship football seems inevitable for Leicester City and therefore, a major squad overhaul.
Jamie Vardy is one of three players out of contract in the summer whilst a host of first team names are also likely to head for the exit door.
Ruud van Nistelrooy may not even be the Leicester manager next season with reports suggesting the Foxes are fans of Russell Martin. Danny Rohl and Liam Rosenior are also two of the other names mentioned in previous weeks.
Not everyone will be leaving the King Power Stadium though and they will be tasked with bringing the Foxes back to the top flight once again.
So, on that note, here are three players who Van Nistelrooy, or any incoming replacement, must build their team around next season.
Jakub Stolarczyk
If you were to name one player who is the most unlikely to be at Leicester next season, it’s Mads Hermansen.
Although he has been leaking goals left, right and centre, without the Danish shot-stopper, things could’ve been a lot worse and it’s no wonder he’s gaining interest from other teams in England.
Leicester don’t need to spend money on a Hermansen replacement though, with Jakub Stolarczyk waiting in the wings.
Stolarczyk was in goal the last time Leicester won a game back in January and impressed during his two-month stint. He’s proven he’s ready for the step up and to take that number one spot, meaning money can be spent improving the squad elsewhere.
Ben Nelson
Ben Nelson has been tipped for a ‘big future’ by Oxford United manager Gary Rowett after impressing on loan.
Nelson, 21, has played 12 times in a side struggling near the bottom of the Championship so will have plenty of experience ready for next season.
The centre of defence has been at the heart of the on-pitch issues this season, with nobody doing themselves any favours to suggest they should be starting. Nelson would walk into the team and at his age, could be a mainstay for many years.
Abdul Fatawu
An absolute no brainer here. You can pinpoint the start of Leicester’s rapid decline to the same time that Abdul Fatawu got injured.
Whilst that Fatawu injury has derailed the Foxes’ season, the long-term problem means that he is likely to be at the King Power Stadium.
A fan favourite who gets people off their seats, he will be one of the best players in the Championship and will be at the centre of all things good. Quite simply: he has to be the focal point of the team.