By Johnny Edward:
Leicester City manager Claude Puel has insisted that Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho is not for sale despite him finding it hard to get playing time at the club, Completesportsnigeria.com (CSN), reports.
Iheanacho has made nine appearances so far in the English Premier League since joining from Manchester City for £25m during the transfer window.
Puel admitted he has too many strikers at the club and he is likely to offload at least one before the end of January but that he is keen to keep Iheanacho, but will not be drawn on the future of Islam Slimani.
“I think it’s important to get a good balance in the squad. It’s a question of respect, and to keep them with a good attitude,” Puel said during his pre-match conference ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
“Iheanacho, no chance of leaving. He has good talent but must work harder to stay in the team.”
On his side’s visit to Stamford Bridge, Puel is confident his Leicester can trouble Chelsea.
He added: “We know Chelsea are the champions and they play at home. They have a lot of solutions – players with quality. We can cause them problems because we have great players also.
“He will be available, [there is] no problem with Jamie Vardy.
“Jamie Vardy has trained well this week and he’s available for the game.”
On the defensive pair of Wes Morgan and Danny Simpson, Puel added: “I don’t know for the moment how long [Morgan] will stay out of the squad. When I have news – I hope good news – I can speak about the injury. [Danny] can run a little, not fast, but he can run which is good news. We’ll see when he can come back.
Puel: No Chance Of Iheanacho Leaving Leicester In January
