Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has shared an encouraging update on Caleb Okoli’s fitness following the defender’s early exit during Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Brentford.
The Italian centre-back, who left the pitch after 35 minutes at the Gtech Community Stadium, was replaced by Jannik Vestergaard with Leicester trailing 2-1.
Positive Signs for Okoli
The legendary striker returned to Old Trafford in the summer to work under Erik ten Hag as the assistant manager before his installation as interim head coach following his compatriot’s sacking on October 28.
The Dutchman took charge of four games as the interim boss, winning three and drawing one, with eleven goals scored — his three wins equals United’s total in their final 11 games under Erik Ten Hag before departing the club.
Ahead of his first game in charge on Tuesday night against West Ham at the King Power Stadium, Van Nistelrooy sounded optimistic about Okoli’s recovery. Speaking to reporters according to Leicestermercury, he said:
“Caleb was part of team training and looked good. He pushed himself to join, so we’ll wait on his reaction. All being well, he will be in the squad.”
This update suggests the 23-year-old could be ready to feature as Leicester look to bounce back from their recent defeat.
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Winks Still on the Sidelines
Meanwhile, Harry Winks remains unavailable as he continues to recover from an injury sustained in Steve Cooper’s final match as Leicester boss, a clash against Chelsea.
Van Nistelrooy confirmed that Winks is still working individually and has yet to rejoin team training.
“Harry is doing individual work. He’s not joined the team yet. It’s not a long-term injury, and hopefully, we can welcome him soon,” van Nistelrooy added.
With West Ham visiting on Tuesday, van Nistelrooy will hope to have Okoli available to bolster his defensive options.
