BURNLEY, ENGLAND - MARCH 01: James Maddison celebrates with Jamie Vardy and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall of Leicester City after scoring their team's first goal during the Premier League match between Burnley and Leicester City at Turf Moor on March 01, 2022 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
The latest on Jonny Evans, Victor Kristiansen, Youri Tielemans, and James Justin as Leicester City’s injured players get another fortnight to work on their recoveries
Jonny Evans has been forced to withdraw from the Northern Ireland squad because of a hamstring injury.
The Leicester City skipper’s latest attempted injury comeback was put on hold after a setback last week, and now he’s been forced to sit out his country’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against San Marino and Finland.
Evans has not started a Premier League game since October because of calf and thigh troubles but looked set to return to the 11 at Brentford after playing the final few minutes off the bench against Chelsea. However, he was labeled a doubt by Brendan Rodgers a couple of days before the trip to the capital, and the 35-year-old was ultimately left out.
Now, Northern Ireland has confirmed he won’t feature for them either. They say he is dealing with a hamstring issue.
He becomes the second City player to receive a call-up but has to pull out, with Victor Kristiansen’s ankle issue denying him a maiden senior Denmark cap. However, the left-back is expected to be fit for City when they return to action against Crystal Palace on April 1.
As for the others on the sidelines, Youri Tielemans is nursing ankle ligament damage and is expected to be returning to training in the middle of next month, while James Justin is out until the end of the season with an Achilles rupture.
This fresh blow for Evans further decreases the likelihood of a new contract for him in the summer. The veteran’s deal runs out at the end of the season, and while discussions have been held, Rodgers cast doubt over an extension amid Evans’ injury troubles.
The manager said that the center-back’s fitness over the final couple of months of the season would have to be assessed in any contract decision. Evans has started just 25 of City’s last 69 Premier League games.
