Leicester City gave a huge BOOST in the Premier League relegation fight as Kelechi Iheanacho set to return from injury against Newcastle… after fears the striker would miss the rest of the season
- Iheanacho hasn’t played for Leicester since suffering the injury against Leeds
- The striker will return against Newcastle as the Foxes look to stay put this season
Kelechi Iheanacho is ready to answer Leicester’s SOS call as they head to Newcastle with Premier League survival at stake.
The Nigerian – hero of the Foxes’ FA Cup-winning campaign two years ago – has not played since sustaining a thigh injury in the 1-1 draw at Leeds on April 25, and Leicester have taken just one point from the three games since. .
It was initially feared that Iheanacho could miss the rest of the season but the striker’s recovery has gone well and he has been training this week – a stroke of luck for a club that needs a lot. Depending on how Leeds, Everton and Nottingham Forest perform at the weekend, Leicester may need to win at St James’ Park on Monday to avoid falling in the Championship.
Despite an initial improvement under caretaker boss Dean Smith, Leicester are where they were when they arrived last month. They are 19th in the standings, two points from safety.
With seven players out of contract this summer, Leicester fans have targeted the players with chants of “You’re not fit to wear the shirt”, with midfielder Youri Tielemans in the firing line.
Kelechi Iheanacho hasn’t played since withdrawing against Leeds last month
The striker is expected to be in contention when Leicester City take on Newcastle on Monday night
Dean Smith hopes Iheanacho can fire his squad for Premier League survival
Smith said: “The players were demoralized by the last two results, but before that there had been an improvement in performance.
“The goals we gave against Fulham and Liverpool weren’t good enough and we worked on that.”
“I don’t need to pay tribute to this group of players that I inherited. I can criticize them if I feel I have to, but I don’t because the work ethic is there.
‘The stats I get from our performance department tell me he’s there. What is missing are clean sheets.
“We have to be harder to beat. We have to master the basics, but the players care.
