JibrinFive Leicester City players who could earn a new manager opportunity in FA Cup v Southampton
Interim boss Andy King has said he will be making some adjustments to his side for the rematch with the Saints, as City travel to the south coast for the FA Cup fourth round.
The Leicester City lineup is set to be refreshed this weekend when they visit Southampton for the FA Cup fourth-round clash.
Interim boss Andy King has said he will make a few changes, and encouraged those who come into the side to show the potential new manager what they can do.
So who might get a chance to impress? Here’s a look at five City players hoping to feature at St Mary’s.
BADE ALUKO
Ricardo Pereira has started twice in four days, so it would seem like City are overworking him if he were to play again on Saturday.
This opens the door for Aluko to return to the lineup at the ground where he received a red card around four months ago.
The teenager struggled at left-back in that 3-0 defeat, but has shown promise in his outings since, particularly at centre-back against Charlton after Caleb Okoli’s dismissal.
City consider his best position to be right-back, and that’s where he could line up this weekend. He’ll be keen to demonstrate the energy and attacking qualities he can provide in support of his winger, while also preventing the Saints from finding joy down his side.
VICTOR KRISTIANSEN
He hasn’t played since injuring his knee on his first start of the season in early November, but has been back in full training for a couple of weeks and was an unused substitute in the past two games.
Kristiansen may now get the opportunity to play again. Luke Thomas’s struggles mean a start for the Dane gives him a chance to stake a strong claim for the left-back position for the remainder of the season.
The key focus will be shutting down crosses. King highlighted this as a vulnerability in City’s game, saying it proved costly in the midweek collapse against Southampton.
If Kristiansen can neutralize the balls at the source, he will improve his chances of starting Championship matches.
LOUIS PAGE
Since Page’s 90 minutes against Charlton in King’s first game, Harry Winks has returned as a potential starter, and both Joe Aribo and Divine Mukasa have been signed. Suddenly, there’s a lot of competition for the 17-year-old.
If he features this weekend, it will be a chance to show he deserves to be considered in discussions about City’s midfield setup.
With Mukasa cup-tied after his third-round appearance for Manchester City, Page will likely operate as the most advanced midfielder, though his long-term role is seen as a box-to-box number eight.
DUJUAN RICHARDS
The other three January signings have now made their full debuts. This weekend could be Richards’ moment.
Abdul Fatawu is so important that he is likely to be rested, as he was in the third round, leaving Richards as the frontrunner to start on the right wing.
Just as his substitute appearance at Birmingham was his first senior outing in England, this weekend would mark his first senior start in the country.
He’s unlikely to surpass Fatawu in the pecking order, but the Jamaican will hope to showcase qualities that make him more likely to be considered from the bench in Championship fixtures.
JEREMY MONGA
He’s only played 13 minutes in King’s three games so far, but having been declared fit for the trip to St Mary’s, Monga could enter the starting XI.
If he gets the opportunity, the key focus will be on his end product. He has talent in abundance and can trouble full-backs, but to truly make a name for himself, he needs more goals and assists.
Not since he set up Ricardo’s goal at the end of August has he contributed to either. That’s a run of 18 appearances without a goal involvement, though most were substitute outings.
It shouldn’t be expected that a 16-year-old delivers consistently, but if Monga does, he could challenge Stephy Mavididi for a place in the Championship lineup.
Jibrin
