Ruud van Nistelrooy is sweating over Wilfred Ndidi's hamstring injury with Leicester City running short on midfielders ahead of the trip to Newcastle.
After a strong first half against Brighton, Ndidi came off injured early in the second period following a collision with Joao Pedro. City will hope the injury isn’t serious as the Nigerian was again very effective at the base of midfield, protecting the defence and building attacks.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, boss van Nistelrooy said: “Wilf, when he comes off you know there’s a problem. I hope it’s minor. He felt a slight strain in the hamstring. Hopefully it’s not too much. We’ll see how quick we can get him back.”
A serious problem would leave City light on midfield options, especially for Saturday's clash at Newcastle. Ndidi's midfield partner Boubakary Soumare picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, and so will be suspended for the game at St James' Park, while Harry Winks has still not rejoined full training after his groin injury.
Oliver Skipp came on for Ndidi against Brighton and offers different characteristics. The £20m summer signing can be more dynamic and he possesses more pace, but has not yet performed consistently in a City shirt. The 24-year-old midfielder has a lot of potential and will want to prove himself to be more than just the useful squad player he was at Tottenham.
Van Nistelrooy has been playing Ndidi back in his preferred position as number six, after Enzo Maresca and Steve Cooper deployed him in a more attacking role. City's defence has shown weaknesses this season and van Nistelrooy has spoken of the importance of the deep midfield duo in protecting the back-line.
The availability issue in midfield could also see Hamza Choudhury brought in. The homegrown midfielder has played just 14 minutes in the Premier League this season, last featuring in September, with a dislocated shoulder ruling him out for most of October.
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