Steve Cooper confirms 'not great' injury news for Leicester City vs Tottenham as three ruled out

Getty Images
Leicester City boss Steve Cooper has been speaking ahead of Monday night’s clash with Tottenham.

Leicester City boss Steve Cooper has issued the latest fitness update on his side ahead of their clash with Tottenham on Monday night. The Premier League season is now underway, with Manchester United narrowly defeating Fulham at Old Trafford on Friday night.

Tottenham must wait until Monday to begin their new campaign, facing newly promoted Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. Ange Postecoglou’s men will be hoping to land a top four finish this season, and the board have backed the Australian boss this summer, handing him a number of big-money signings, including Dominic Solanke and Archie Gray.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Leicester have not been able to make big investments upon their Premier League return, struggling to deal with Financial Fair Play rules over the last couple of years. The Foxes also have some injuries heading into the Spurs clash, with Cooper saying in his press conference, as reported by LeicestershireLive: “Patson (Daka) is not great. He’s suffered quite a serious ankle injury. He’s had an operation and will be out for a few months. Vards (Jamie Vardy) has been injured since the second week of pre-season, he’s closer to return but will be a little while. It’s not great.

“Conor Coady will be out for a few more weeks with his hamstring. Vards is at the latter stages of rehab. With his experience, he understands his body and will have a big say in that process of returning.”

Asked about the club’s lack of recruitment, Cooper added: “Every season you want to reinforce, you want to strengthen. We’re still going through that process. The club is working together and the communication lines are great. It’s been a slow market. Once I knew this week that there wouldn’t any additions for Monday, I put that to one side and focused on Monday. That’s the only thing we can influence.”

He continued on the topic of being ready for the step up: “That’s the intention. This is a hard-working group, which is natural. We want to keep a lot of last season going while balancing the challenge of the Premier League. It’s a huge step. We’ve got a nice mix of guys who have been there before and guys going in for the first time. There’s lots of motivation. The intention is that we’re ready.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cooper on Spurs

Cooper was asked about the challenge of playing Tottenham in the first game of the season. “They’re a really good team, with some positions that are fixed and some that are fluid,” he said. “We’re at home, we’ve worked hard to get back in the league, and we want to focus on what we can do. Spurs have got some brilliant players and a really good manager. You have to respect and understand what the opponent can do, but it can’t outweigh ourselves.”

“It’s a very aligned club. You can see why it’s had the success it’s had in its Premier League history. That’s what I’m feeling. The context at the moment is making us a stronger team and squad. Communication lines are clear. Some things haven’t gone our way, which is not the club’s fault. Let’s hope we’re were want to be in a couple of weeks’ time. The players here feel good about themselves and let’s hope we can take that into the season.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice