If Harry Souttar is going to be part of Leicester City’s plans next season, it won’t be from the start of the campaign.
The centre-back has been out injured since December when he tore his Achilles tendon while on loan at Sheffield United.
The severity of the injury means that Souttar will still be in rehab come the start of City’s pre-season, and potentially won’t be able to feature again until the end of the calendar year.
Ruud van Nistelrooy said this week: “I see him every day. He has a torn Achilles tendon. That’s been operated on and his rehab is going well, it’s going according to plan, but he won’t be fit for pre-season.”
There’s been a change in manager since Souttar first left for Sheffield United, and there could be another before he returns if van Nistelrooy does not survive the summer.
But whoever’s in charge, it gives Souttar the chance of a reprieve at City, having been out of favour under both Enzo Maresca and Steve Cooper.
His record during his loan spell with the Blades suggests he should be considered as part of a Championship back-line.
In his 20 league starts for Sheffield United before his injury, Souttar kept 14 clean sheets. In the other 26 games prior to the play-offs, the Blades kept eight clean sheets.
City are due a rebuild at centre-back, and there’s potential for each of their current four senior options to leave the club.
Wout Faes, Caleb Okoli, and Jannik Vestergaard have been linked with moves away, and Conor Coady is entering the final year of his contract.
Ben Nelson is expected to return to the club and play a key role, but that’s only if he’s not sold for PSR purposes.
It may ease the burden in the transfer market if Souttar was to be considered an option for next season, but that’s only if City are willing to potentially go half a campaign without him.
City likely need four centre-backs in their squad next season. If they're confident Souttar can play a part once he's fit, they could take a gamble and survive on three until his return, allowing them to spend money elsewhere this summer.
But having four fit options at the start of the campaign would be the safest route, with the Australia international to add further competition when he makes his comeback.
Interest from Sheffield United would have been expected had Souttar’s injury not been so serious, but the nature of his Achilles problem practically rules him out of a transfer this summer.
So even if his future is uncertain, he should at least get an opportunity in training to impress the manager before next January’s window, which seems to be the next realistic moment for him to leave City.
The 26-year-old has a contract at the King Power Stadium that runs to 2028.
Should City include Souttar as one of their four centre-back options for next season? Click HERE to have your say
The latest Leicester City headlines sent straight to your phone
Get the latest Leicester City news sent straight to your phone by joining our Foxes WhatsApp community. Just click here and select ‘Join Community’ to get started.
No one will be able to see your personal information in the community and you will only receive messages from the LeicestershireLive sports team. We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest City stories. All you need to participate in this free service is to have WhatsApp on your phone.
If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave at any time by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and then 'Exit Group'. It's as simple as that. You can read our Privacy Notice HERE.