No New Injuries For Forest Trip, Says Rodgers
- Leicester City face Nottingham Forest in the Emirates FA Cup on Sunday (4pm GMT kick-off)
- The Foxes visit the City Ground for the first time in eight years
- Manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed there are no fresh injury issues in the squad
- He also discusses Papy Mendy, Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans and Wesley Fofana
The Foxes head to the City Ground on Sunday to tackle Steve Cooper's upwardly-mobile outfit in the fourth round – the first competitive meeting between the two East Midlands neighbours in eight years. While City overcame Watford at home in the last round, Forest beat Arsenal.
Speaking inside the King Power Centre at LCFC Training Ground, Rodgers said: "There's nothing new. The guys that we expect are fit and the longer term ones are still out for a period of time.
"It's been a challenge for us this season. The break came at a good time for us. In the last couple of games, we could and should have won them, arguably, without being at the top of our game.
"The opportunity for the players to reset and for some to get back training, it looks healthier. We're really looking forward to this second part of the season.
"Hopefully we can get some more of the players back and really look to try and be as consistent as we possibly can."
The experienced Jamie Vardy and Jonny Evans remain out with hamstring issues, but work is continuing to aid their recoveries.
"Both of those players are a wee bit of time away," Rodgers explained. "Vards is probably about four weeks or so, Jonny will be a bit longer, maybe up to six weeks. Their contribution is still very important off the field."
Midfielder Papy Mendy has been hugely impressive for Senegal at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations this winter and Rodgers is looking forward to his return to Leicester ahead of a busy period in the 2021/22 campaign.
He added: "Papy was very unfortunate not make the squad (in the summer), purely because of injuries that we had and the limited time we had to bring people in, but we had to put other people in who could cover that position.
"It’s a testament to his professionalism and his own mentality and attitude in terms of how he's kept going. I've seen that throughout my time here. He's so professional. His attitude and his approach to staying fit and focused with the squad has allowed him to go away and you’ve seen his performances with Senegal.
"That really shows you the outstanding attitude Papy has. Congratulations to him, they've made it into the final, and when he comes back, he comes into our squad. He’s always been a valued player here, even though his contributions have been limited because of the form of other players and how we work."
Centre-back Wesley Fofana, who's been absent for Leicester since August with a fractured fibula, is continuing his recovery. Rodgers was full of praise for the young Frenchman's response to the setback and provided an update on the progress of his rehabilitation.
"He’s doing terrific," the Northern Irishman continued. "He will look to join in the squad the week beginning 14 February, which is great news for us. He’s working very hard with our medical and sports science teams. He’s looking very strong and is, of course, in this final period before he rejoins the squad for training.
Leicester's Preparations For Forest
Take a look at how the Foxes are preparing in training to face Nottingham Forest in the Emirates FA Cup.
"We’ll then assess it from there. We'll see where he’s at in that first week and, hopefully, somewhere in February, he’ll be close to playing. His importance, you’ve seen what we’ve missed throughout this season. You saw the quality of him and what he gives the team in the Villarreal game.
"We like to play with a high line, be aggressive, and defend forward and that's the reason we brought him in. To miss someone of that quality and that personality in our team, even though he's so young, he plays with great maturity.
"That was a huge blow for us, but he’s worked ever so hard. It’s nearly six months to the day since he had his operation and he’s recovered. For a young player, I’ve been impressed by his mentality and his attitude to his recovery. He’s been super professional, he’s worked very hard.
"We just can’t wait to have him back with the team again."
All times GMT.