Jannik Vestergaard makes ‘not the best recipe’ admission after losing Leicester City spot.
The Danish defender has not played for the club since the second week of the campaign, with Caleb Okoli forming a partnership with Wout Faes in Steve Cooper’s back-line.
Sustaining an injury in a competitive squad is “not the best recipe” for regular game-time, Jannik Vestergaard has admitted after losing his place in the Leicester City line-up.
Vestergaard, one of City’s star performers as they won the Championship title last season, has not played for the club since the second week of the Premier League campaign. For much of that period he’s been out with an ankle injury, but prior to sustaining the knock he was left on the bench against Aston Villa, with Caleb Okoli taking his place.
Fit again, Vestergaard could not regain his place among the substitutes for the 1-0 win over Bournemouth. He knows he faces a battle to get back into the 11, with Okoli performing well in his absence and able to establish himself in the heart of the defence, next to Wout Faes.
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Speaking while on Denmark duty ahead of Nations League matches against Spain and Switzerland, Vestergaard told TV2: “My status is good. I feel good and feel fresh and motivated. I’m generally in top form game-wise. So I’m 100 percent ready.
“I have been back in training for the past week. (The lack of game-time is) nothing to worry about. It’s the Premier League and there’s high-level competition. And so it is also about the places.
“So there is nothing strange about it. But it doesn’t help make yourself unavailable when there is competition for places. It’s not usually the best recipe.”
Under Maresca, Vestergaard’s passing ability was integral to City’s success. But Cooper has a preference for physical attributes, and the greater speed possessed by Faes and Okoli is likely to keep them in the side for the foreseeable future.
Conor Coady has been the back-up on the bench over recent weeks, and Vestergaard is in competition with the England international too, in case of an injury to either of the starting pair. Vestergaard, who signed a new three-year contract in the summer, may next get a chance to play in the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at Manchester United later this month.
