Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers has offer an injury update ahead of their FA Cup clash against Nottingham Forest as the Foxes prepare to be without five key players.
Striker Jamie Vardy, defenders Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans, Timothy Castagne and Ryan Betrand are all ruled out of the trip to face the Reds at the City Ground.
Rodgers has confirmed that influential striker Vardy has been given time off as he looks to come back from a hamstring problem.
Rodgers said: “Both of those players are a wee bit of time away.
"Vards is about four weeks or so. Jonny is a bit longer, up to six weeks maybe. But their contribution is still very important off the field.”
Rodgers did have encouraging news over Fofana, however, with the centre-back recovering from a broken leg and ankle ligament damage sustained in a pre-season friendly with Villareal.
He is set to return to training within the next two weeks.
“He’s doing terrific,” Rodgers said at his press conference on Friday afternoon, ahead of City’s trip to Nottingham Forest.
“He will look to join with the squad the week beginning February 14. He’s working very well with the sports science team.
“Then we will assess it from there. Then hopefully sometime in February, he will be close to playing.
“His importance, you’ve seen what we’ve missed throughout the season. You saw his quality in the Villarreal game. Because of how we play, we like to play with a high line and defend forward and that was the reason we brought him in. He plays with such maturity.
“It was such a huge blow to us. It’s nearly six months since the operation and he’s recovered. I’ve been really impressed by his mentality. We can’t wait to have him back in the team.”
