Leicester boss Steve Cooper is not getting hung up on the club’s mounting injuries as the Foxes prepare for a tough Premier League run.
The Christmas period is fast approaching England’s top flight, meaning all teams will begin playing every few days as we head into 2025.
And with the news that Abdul Fatawu will be sidelined for the rest of the season, things are looking bleak for the Midlands club, who sit 15th and just three points from the relegation zone.
But Cooper refuses to use Fatawu’s injury as an excuse ahead of a period where Leicester face the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester City.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of the Chelsea game this weekend, he said: “We are disappointed, particularly with the Abdul [Fatawu] situation and for him, but we can’t dwell on these things.
“It does happen and I don’t want any negativity so there won’t be any from me and I don’t want any negativity around the club about it.
On availability issues 🔵
“You go through phases where you pick up injuries and we feel like we’re going through that now – but I don’t want any negativity around it, I think this can bring us closer together and show who we are.” pic.twitter.com/WULYYXAcZF
— Leicester City (@LCFC) November 21, 2024
“I want to see it as an opportunity to show how strong the squad is and can be, and whoever is playing, we’ve spoken about it in press conferences and experienced it this season when people come off the bench or have started when they haven’t started a game before.
“This is just the nature of a squad in the Premier League.
“Of course you always want a fully-fit squad, everybody competing for places, but that isn’t always the case and you do go through phases where you can pick up some injuries and we feel like we are going through that at the moment but I don’t want any negativity on it, I don’t want any dwelling on it.
“I want it to be seen as an opportunity to bring us together to show us who we are.”
As well as the games against the big boys of the Premier League, Leicester also have some crucial clashes against bottom-half opposition coming up.
They face West Ham, Wolves and Crystal Palace in the next few months with the opportunity to put some real distance between themselves and the bottom three.
