Leicester City defender Jannik Vestergaard could be a doubt for Watford next week, as he felt something in the first half against Stoke.
The Danish international has been an almost ever-present for City in the Championship this season under Enzo Maresco. It’s something that would have surprised most at this time last year, as he was frozen out by former manager Brendan Rodgers.
Vestergaard played the first half at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday and was replaced at half-time by academy graduate Ben Nelson. City led 2-0 at the break and won the match 5-0.
After the game, Maresca revealed that the reason for Vestergaard’s substitution was injury. “Jannik felt something, a muscle, so I hope it is not a big problem,” he said at a press conference.
Kasey McAteer, who played for the first time in one of the two number eight spots, was also removed at halftime. He was replaced by Dennis Praet.
Maresca admitted that his withdrawal was to protect him from suspension. The midfielder received a yellow card at the end of the first half after pushing a Stoke player off the ball. “We substituted Kasey because of the yellow card,” Maresca added.
He could be a doubt for next weekend’s game against Watford at Vicarage Road due to an injury to Vestergaard. If it turns out that he is not healthy enough to start, Maresca will have to choose who will replace him in the starting eleven.
Nelson continues to impress with his performances after breaking into the first team. City can also call on the experience of Conor Coady, who was expected to be first choice at the start of the season before suffering a foot injury during pre-season.