Rodgers Outlines Vardy, Ndidi & Evans Fitness Issues

- Jamie Vardy is progressing well and 'on schedule' after a hernia operation, says Brendan Rodgers
- The manager also provides updates on Wilfred Ndidi (hamstring) and Jonny Evans (vision)
- Ndidi is likely to be out for up to 10 days after being substituted in Wednesday's draw at Everton
- Evans is 'fine' and in contention to feature against Leeds United on Sunday afternoon, Rodgers adds

King Power Stadium stages Leicester City's 21st league outing of the 2020/21 season on Sunday as Marcelo Bielsa's West Yorkshire outfit make the trip to the East Midlands.

Speaking inside the King Power Centre at LCFC Training Ground, Rodgers fielded questions on the condition of a host of players, including Vardy, who recently underwent a hernia operation.

"Jamie’s six days post-operation," the Northern Irishman told the media. "Having been sore initially after the operation, I saw him after training in the gym today, so he’s progressing really well.

"We’re on schedule to meet the deadline we’ve got. We were looking to hopefully get him training towards 10 days (after the operation), so he’s on course for that.

"We’re just looking closely at his rehabilitation. He’s progressed really well over these last few days. We haven’t earmarked a game yet (for a return), but we’ll look more closely at that next week."

Ndidi (hamstring) and Evans (vision), meanwhile, were withdrawn from the action during Wednesday's hard-fought 1-1 draw with Everton at Goodison Park, which left Leicester third in the table.

While Nigeria midfielder Ndidi is likely to be absent for just over a week, Northern Ireland centre-back Evans is in contention to tackle Leeds on Filbert Way, Rodgers added.

"It’s just a slight tear (for Ndidi)," the 48-year-old explained. "He will be [out for] a week to 10 days, which is unfortunate, but sometimes hamstrings can be much longer than that.

"Thankfully, it's probably the lowest grade that you could get. He should be back fairly soon. Jonny’s fine. It’s been an ongoing issue with him for a little while, but he’ll be fine."

Throughout the campaign so far, Leicester have battled on despite a host of injuries to key players and Rodgers says he is fully prepared to once again utilise the depth of his squad.

"It’s the same test we’ve had all season when we’ve had players missing," he continued. "Jamie is a top-class player, so is Wilf, but we’ve managed to get good results consistently over the season.

"As a coach or a manager, you have to find a way to get results and, very importantly for us, [maintain] the performance level.

"We played very well in midweek and we’ll look to take that into our next game. If you shine a light over the course of the season, we’ve had important players who have been missing consistently.

"It’s only really been up until the last week or so where we haven’t had that. We trust the squad. Of course, you miss someone of Jamie’s ability and the strengths he has.

"That would help anybody, in particular ourselves, but as I said, I thought Ayo (Ayoze Pérez) did very well in the week. We’ve got Kels (Kelechi Iheanacho) as well, who can come into the game, and it’s a collective effort to put in a level of performance that can see us win games."