Decision time for Gray

CITY NEWS WINGER MIGHT HAVE TO LEAVE TO GET MORE GAMES, ADMITS CITY MANAGER

DEMARAI Gray has a decision to make over his Leicester City future, Brendan Rodgers has said.

Gray was left out of the City squad for the season opener last weekend, started just three Premier League matches for the club last term, and has now entered the final 12 months of his contract at the club.

With City on the verge of signing Cengiz Under from Roma, there is set to be greater competition for places out wide this season, which could limit Gray’s game-time further, despite the abundance of fixtures the club face this season with the Europa League kicking off next month.

Rodgers has suggested there will be a place for Gray at the club if he wants to stay, but would not stand in his way if he wanted to move on in search of regular first-team football.

“While he is here, he will always be respected for his quality and what he has,” said Rodgers at his press conference yesterday.

“I’ll always analyse players in training and then pick a squad that we feel can get us the result.

“He’s clearly in his last year, he hasn’t signed another deal.

“I’ll always respect Demarai and what his wishes are and at this moment in time, he’s working very hard to play a part while he’s here, so we’ll see how that evolves over the course of the season.

“That will be up to him (whether he leaves). I’ve really enjoyed working with Demarai, he’s a good guy.

“He’s been here since he was a young player but he’s now 24, but it will be whether he wants to continue in the role he’s playing here or whether he sees himself going out to become a starter. What I know is that he’s a good guy and he’s got talent, that’s for sure, and while he’s here, we’ll always look to help him improve that talent. We’ll see how that goes.”

Although his game-time was limited compared to the previous season, Gray enjoyed a productive campaign at City, scoring three goals and registering five assists across all competitions, with the 24-year-old one of the better performers following the restart.

Gray, right, had more joy as a substitute though, and could underwhelm during the few games he was given a start.

Rodgers added: “I think for Demarai last year, his biggest impact came from the bench. We saw that throughout the season, he was one who came into the games.

“That was hard for him, but that was difficult for him because of the form of the other players.

“Dimi’s best position is on the lefthand side, and Harvey Barnes was electric for much of last season and has shown tremendous potential throughout, so that was difficult for him to get into what would be his ideal position.

“Ayo on the other side had done well for much of the season in terms of the attacking balance of the team.

“So for Dimi, his introduction off the bench was also important for us, it was a key role.

“He’s been here a few years. And I’m sure he’s thinking: ‘Do I stay? Do I move on?’

“But in the meantime, he’s no problem, he’s got a great attitude, he wants to be the best player he can be and we’ll try to help be that player.”