SET FOR CITY EXIT?
Rodgers on possible departures – and arrival
LEICESTER City boss Brendan Rodgers has confirmed midfielder James Maddison will be fit to face Southampton.
City make the trip to St Mary’s Stadium for a date with the Saints in front of the Sky Sports cameras tomorrow night.
Star midfielder Maddison looks set to shake off the effects of a sore ankle ahead of the game.
Having suffered the injury last month, Maddison then missed a chunk of training following the break and he had to be substituted with 20 minutes remaining in last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Burnley.
But speaking in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Rodgers revealed Maddison is fit and ready to go ahead of City’s next outing.
“He has been fine,” the City boss said. “He has been training up until now. It was a case where he didn’t do much in the couple of weeks after the Tottenham game and leading into Liverpool he hadn’t done a great deal.
“He lasted the game very well. Of course, he wasn’t right up to the match fitness, but he got a good period in the game in.
“He came off and he will be fit and ready for Friday.”
Talk around Maddison’s future has intensified this week with reports that Manchester United are growing increasingly confident of signing the 22-year-old.
There are also suggestions that City will look to tie Maddison down to a new contract in a bid to strengthen their hand.
While Rodgers said he was not privy to any conversations over a new deal, he does believe the playmaker is in the right place for his personal development.
“There’s nothing to add to that,” Rodgers said yesterday when asked about the possibility of a new contract for Maddison.
“The club hasn’t indicated anything as of yet.
“He’s a player that we very much want to keep here. He’s a very talented young player that has a lot of development to make over the coming years.
“He recognises this is a great place for him to be, and gives him that opportunity to flourish and develop.
“Anything contractual, that will be between James’s representatives and the club. For me, my job is to coach them and make them better.”
Maddison joined City in a £22m switch from Norwich in the summer of 2018 and has a deal at the King Power Stadium that runs to 2023.
Rodgers also confirmed the rest of the squad are ready to go ahead of the Southampton clash.
“Yeah. Everyone has trained well and fine,” he added. “And we are another week or so down the line with one or two having better football fitness.”