A summer transfer for Jannik Vestergaard is possible, Denmark manager Brian Riemer has said, warning the centre-back he won’t be an “exception” in his squad forever.
Vestergaard has been called up to represent Denmark for their friendlies against Northern Ireland and Lithuania next month despite not playing a single game since the last international break in March.
The centre-back found himself out of favour at City under Ruud van Nistelrooy, dropped from the squad abruptly in early March having previously been a regular starter under the Dutchman.
Van Nistelrooy said the decision to omit Vestergaard was tactical, but even when Wout Faes was out injured against Brighton in April, the Dane still did not make the bench, the manager choosing to go without centre-back cover.
Despite that long period out of the picture, Vestergaard has been included in the Denmark squad, having played 90 minutes in each of their last 16 internationals.
Riemer described the 32-year-old and outgoing Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen as “exceptions”, both players included despite not being in form.
However, he suggested that Vestergaard’s lack of football wouldn’t be overlooked forever and he needed to play regularly, whether that was at new club or with City.
“I'm betting heavily on Jannik finding a new place to play regularly or starting to play at Leicester,” Riemer said. “That's why I'm investing in him for the June meeting.
“I have said from the start that there will be exceptions. I have 20 outfield players in the squad. Two of them are not in the category we can call ‘in form’. They are Christian Eriksen and Jannik Vestergaard.
“Eriksen has played, but not consistently from the start. He could play more. And then there's Vestergaard, who hasn't played at all.
"Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be selected for the national team. But we are in a situation where we are not flooded with centre-backs at international level. At the same time, I am looking forward to September.
“If we had an (in-form) player who has Jannik Vestergaard's qualities, he would have been included in the squad.”
Vestergaard has two years remaining on the City contract he signed last summer. He’d earned that deal after a terrific year in the Championship in which he’d been one of the team’s key players at the heart of the defence.
He’d previously struggled in the Premier League for City and while he was better this season, he still had difficult outings in what was an often poor defensive unit.
If van Nistelrooy is to remain in charge, it seems unlikely that Vestergaard will earn a reprieve, and it would likely signal a summer exit.
If a new manager comes in, there is the chance that the Dane can do as he did under Maresca and return from the fringes of the squad to become a key player.
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