Leicester City face Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday and defender Jonny Evans still remains a doubt for this massive fixture.
The centre-back has been a key figure in Brendan Rodger’s first-team setup this season but the former Manchester United man has missed the previous two matches due to an ankle injury.
Everyone was hoping Evans will be fully fit by the time Leicester went to Wembley but Rodgers’ has made it clear that he is yet to take any final decision regarding the 33-year-old’s selection against the Blues.
“We’ll give him another day, he’s progressed really well in this last 24 hours,” the Leicester boss said in his pre-match press conference.
“He was outside today and he looked really good. We’ll see what the reaction is after that and then we’ll make a final decision on that tomorrow, but we’re really hopeful.
“It’s just a discussion between myself and Jonny. Ultimately, you’ve always got to speak to the players. Jonny’s a warrior, so I know if there’s any way he can play, even if he’s not 100 per cent, he’ll be out there. I always have to balance that off. It’s a huge game, it’s going to be a physical game, so we need physicality in the team and running ability. If that’s hindered in any way, it might make it difficult for him, but we’ve got 24 hours, so we’ll see how he goes.
“He’s been out on the [training] pitch, so after this press conference, I’ll go in and find out a bit more detail on how he’s done. You’ll see if he’s available at the weekend.
“We’re still very positive he’s going to play. It’s a showpiece game, so of course you want to be involved.
“In my time at the Club, he’s been immense. We’ve got other players to come in, but if Jonny’s fit and available to play, it’s a huge boost for us.”
If Jonny Evans is not ready then it will be a big blow for the Leicester City boss but thankfully, the manager does have players to provide adequate cover.
Castagne has played as the third central defender while Evans was out injured and the manager also has the option of reverting to a conventional back-four(with Fofana and Soyuncu as the two centre-backs), just like he did against Manchester United in midweek.
Apart from Jonny Evans, Ricardo Pereira and James Maddison have just recovered from injuries but the manager did not sound any major alarm bells over the fitness of these two key first-team regulars.
The manager added: “On James Maddison, there’s probably not a coach or a manager in the country who rates him as highly as I do. I know what his qualities are and I know what he can give a team. There will be other players, like Ricardo Pereira. We’ve all seen over the last number of years the levels he can get to.
“Ultimately, in these games, it’s about more than that, it’s about more than the talent.
“You have to weigh up the physical nature of the game, what you want out of the game, and then try and strategise the game because if players aren’t quite to the level you would want them to be at, do they have an impact at a different time in the game?
“This is all part of the strategy and the plan that we’ll arrive into the game with. That’s something we’ll come up with over this final 24 hours beforehand.”
