Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has shed light on why the club chose not to sell a “very important” player during the recent transfer window.
Leicester made only one permanent sale during the window, with Tom Cannon moving to Sheffield United. Additionally, Hamza Choudhury and Will Alves departed on loan deals.
While there was reported interest from Galatasaray in Wout Faes, the player who seemed closest to leaving was Kasey McAteer. Sunderland submitted a bid for the Irish international, but Leicester turned it down, and Van Nistelrooy has now explained the reasoning behind the decision.
The reason Leicester rejected Sunderland’s bid for Kasey McAteer:
McAteer has been a rotational figure for the Foxes, starting the first three games under Van Nistelrooy before suffering an injury. Sunderland’s bid came as a surprise to many, but despite a loan-to-buy offer of £8 million, Leicester opted to reject it.
When questioned about the bid, Van Nistelrooy stated: “One thing for me that was very clear was that nobody was going out until there’s anybody in. I’m sure we can all understand it. I’m looking to bring players in to strengthen the squad, not for players to leave. That was, for me, unthinkable.
“With Hamza (Choudhury) on loan, in his position what we have is enough, so it’s good for him to make minutes. Will Alves is a young lad who needs minutes, needs to play, will be a better player when he comes back in the summer.
“Those are different things. Kasey McAteer is a very important part of our squad on the wings and will have an impact in this season, so it was impossible that he goes.”
Kasey McAteer was in the ‘best form of his life’ before injury:
Van Nistelrooy’s admiration for McAteer is evident, and the Leicester academy graduate remains a key part of his plans moving forward.
Although McAteer’s place in the starting lineup has been temporarily filled by Jordan Ayew and Bobby De Cordova-Reid, the 23-year-old has been making appearances off the bench. His manager is confident that he will return to his best form, especially after an injury disrupted a promising run of performances.
“Kasey did great in the first games against West Ham and Brighton and we were able to collect four big points,” Van Nistelrooy said. “It was unfortunate he got injured because he was in the best form of his life. That’s what I spoke to him about as well.
“With an injury, it needs some time for players to come back to their levels. It’s also with minutes from the bench. He’s training hard, he’s a great professional, he’s competing with the wingers that we are using at the moment, with Stephy Mavididi, with Bobby De Cordova-Reid, and with Jordan Ayew that we see as wingers.”
