JibrinLeicester City have received a significant boost with the return to fitness of deadline-day acquisition Jamaal Lascelles and leading scorer Jordan James ahead of this weekend’s crucial Championship showdown with Norwich City.
The influential duo are back in training today, which will be a massive lift to interim boss Gary Rowett if he can have either, or even both, available for Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off at Carrow Road.
The Foxes ended Tuesday night’s hard-fought 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough with just four fit defenders after Victor Kristiansen picked up a knock in the previous fixture against Stoke City. Rowett was forced to patch up his backline, making the return of Lascelles particularly timely.
Lascelles has missed the last two games after making a handful of starts since his departure from Newcastle United. The fact the commanding centre-half is closing in on full availability will be a huge relief for Rowett.
But not as significant as James being back in contention. The on-loan midfielder, who has plundered nine Championship goals this term, has been sidelined since January 20 due to a troublesome hamstring injury.
Rowett told BBC Sport Leicester: “Jamaal trained today, Jordan James trained today, it’s assessing those players tomorrow and making sensible decisions. If we can get them back in the squad, and I might need to put the medical teams’ arms around their back, that would be great.”
If either James or Lascelles isn’t risked this weekend, they could potentially be saved for the trip to Ipswich Town on March 7.
Meanwhile, Rowett also confirmed that exciting winger Abdul Fatawu is ready to make his first start this weekend, having been an unused substitute at the Riverside Stadium and not involved at all against Stoke City.
Additional Context & Authentic Updates
Regarding Abdul Fatawu, recent reports from March 2025 indicate he has been recovering from a serious ACL injury sustained back in November . The Ghanaian winger has spoken highly of manager Ruud van Nistelrooy’s support during his rehabilitation, with Fatawu spending up to six hours daily on his recovery . While the original article suggests he’s ready to start, it’s worth noting that Fatawu himself has indicated he expects to be fully ready for pre-season rather than featuring prominently in the current campaign, though he confirmed: “I don’t feel pain anymore, and my leg feels stronger than before” .
As for the opposition, Norwich boss Liam Manning appears to have secured his position for now following a draw at Sheffield Wednesday, which ended a six-match losing streak . The Canaries have lost all seven home games this season across all competitions, with the atmosphere at Carrow Road reportedly even more toxic than at the King Power Stadium . This suggests if Leicester can start positively, they could exploit Norwich’s fragile confidence in front of their own fans.
Jibrin
