Leicester City were dealt a major blow in their fight for Premier League survival when they faced off with Liverpool.
The Foxes were always going to find it difficult to get anything against a Reds side who have been back to their scintillating best under new manager Arne Slot this season.
But after Leicester City lost 3-1 to Liverpool, Ruud van Nistelrooy saw his side slip into the relegation zone for the first time since he replaced Steve Cooper.
Jakub Stolarczyk impressed Van Nistelrooy despite conceding three goals on his Premier League debut.
And while Leicester fans were baffled that Jordan Ayew started on December 26th, he was excellent and scored the opening goal.
However, one player really didn’t cover himself in glory and it’s become clear Ruud must look to bring in a replacement once the winter transfer window opens.
- READ MORE: Leicester City star excelled under Steve Cooper, now he’s Ruud van Nistelrooy’s biggest headache
Patson Daka was poor for Leicester City vs Liverpool
Jamie Vardy remains the club’s top scorer this term with six goals in the Premier League.
However, Van Nistelrooy shared a concerning Vardy injury update before Liverpool, with the veteran striker going on to miss the match.
Patson Daka was therefore handed his first league start of the campaign up top and it’s fair to say he really underperformed.
Patson Daka stats during Liverpool vs Leicester City
- Minutes played 90
- Shots 0
- Dribble attempts (successful) 1 (0)
- Touches 21
- Key passes 0
- Duels (won) 7 (2)
- Possession lost 8
- Sofascore rating 6.3 (joint team low)
Stats via Sofascore.
Ruud van Nistelrooy comments on Leicester City strikers
Daka’s showing against Liverpool made it pretty clear he is still not good enough to play regularly in the top flight.
He scored just four goals in 30 appearances when the Foxes were last relegated in 2022/23 and Leicester are in danger of suffering the same fate if he isn’t replaced in January.
Van Nistelrooy has recently commented on his current centre-forward options, as per Leicestershire Live, and seemed to hint a decision could be made on Odsonne Edouard as he is currently taking up a loan spot and not playing.
He said: “It’s clear we have three number nines, with Jamie (Vardy), with Patson and with Edou. Every game there are decisions to be made on the nines you bring in your squad.
“I’m going to look at how many players in each position I need, and so far it’s been Jamie and Patson who have been chosen. But he’s fit and he’s training and it can change every week.
“That’s a fair enough point (over Edouard taking up a loan spot). It’s clear players need to have a perspective. At the moment, with Odsonne’s situation, we have to address that closely. It’s something that’s on the table for us to look at.”
Should Edouard return to Crystal Palace in January, this would open the door for Leicester to bring another number nine in on loan – something that’s clearly needed after what Daka showed against Liverpool.