Barnes Unlikely For Wolves, Says Smith
- Harvey Barnes is continuing his return from a hamstring injury
- Leicester City host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday (3pm BST kick-off)
- Manager Dean Smith is wary of rushing Barnes' return to the starting XI
- Jannik Vestergaard is also expected to be out for the rest of the season
Winger Barnes has been missing with a hamstring complaint since AFC Bournemouth's win at King Power Stadium this month. Although City's No.7 has done light work on the training pitches, Saturday's match will be too soon for a return.
Wolves are the visitors to King Power Stadium - with Leicester knowing a win could lift them out of the relegation zone. Manager Dean Smith was speaking to the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of that encounter.
"Harvey has been out on the grass, but he's not actually trained with us yet," Smith said. "I think it would be a risk to put him in for Saturday. We could lose him then for the six games and I've got to balance that risk. I know he'll start training on Sunday and be ready for Tuesday (vs. Leeds United away).
"It’s not an easy decision. He’s our top goalscorer this season, he's a big player for us. I just have to balance the risk. He wouldn't have been able to start this weekend. It would be too quick for him. The risk for him to re-injure would be too big for him, so Tuesday's a more realistic goal."
Centre-back Jannik Vestergaard, on the other hand, is expected to be out until the end of the season after injuring his calf in an Under-21s match on Monday. Full-back Ryan Bertrand, however, completed over an hour in Seagrave after a long-term knee-related absence. The young Foxes defeated Manchester United Under-21s in Premier League 2.
"Jannik injured his calf," Smith explained. "He’s going to be out for the rest of the season unfortunately. Him and Ryan wanted to get back to fitness to put themselves into contention, but unfortunately Jannik didn't get through it. Ryan did come through it, so he’s got 65 minutes under his belt."
Full-back Ricardo Pereira remains out for the Foxes with a hamstring injury of his own. Club captain Jonny Evans, the former Manchester United centre-back, is also not yet back as he recovers from a 'viral infection'. Defensive colleague Çağlar Söyüncü, on the other hand, was put back into a Leicester XI for last weekend's reverse at Manchester City.
Smith says the Turkish centre-back's application in training was a big part of his reintroduction to the line-up.
"I've always liked him from afar," the Manager added. "Whenever I've come up against him or watched Leicester play, I've enjoyed watching him. He's strong on the ball and quick. He showed those qualities in training.
"My worry was the lack of game time, but he's played two games for Turkey. We knew he could play games. When I spoke to him, the fire was there. He wants to fight for the Club, which is great to see, and that's why I put him in."
Midfielder Youri Tielemans was another player to return for the Foxes in Manchester after an ankle complaint. That competitive action at the home of the champions will do him good for the challenges to come, says Smith.
"He got through it very well," the 52-year-old explained. "He’s trained well this week as well. It was going to be a low block game against City. He’s not going to be making 40 or 50 yard runs in that game. I knew he would be in a better place for the games to come by getting 60 minutes."