Team news from Leicester | Vardy out of Monday's Premier League opener
Fri 16 August 2024, 17:30|
Tottenham Hotspur
Leicester City boss Steve Cooper has confirmed the absence of Foxes' strike duo Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka ahead of our Premier League opener at the KP Stadium on Monday evening (8pm UK).
Experienced forward Vardy - now 37, with 136 goals in 307 appearances for the Foxes in the Premier League - and Zambia international Daka have both picked up injuries in pre-season. Vardy scored against Villarreal on 20 July before suffering his setback, while Daka is set to be sidelined 'for a good few months' according to Cooper with an ankle injury sustained in a 3-0 friendly loss against RC Lens last weekend.
Additionally, Cooper has lost more experience with former Wolves and Everton centre-back Conor Coady out with a hamstring injury, but there is some good news for City with defender Luke Thomas back in training.
Speaking on Friday, Cooper said: "Patson (Daka) obviously is not great news. He suffered quite a serious ankle injury last week in the game in Lens and he is going to be out for a good few months. He’s having an operation today (Friday). That’s really unfortunate for him because he was looking good in pre-season. Vards, similarly, he’s been injured since the second week of pre-season now, when we were on one of our pre-season camps. He’s closer to returning but it will be a little while, although he’s itching to get back. But it’s not great at that end of the pitch."