The Leicester City centre-backs have both been back in training recently, with Vestergaard out since January and Souttar on his way back from a 15-month absence
Jannik Vestergaard pictured in Leicester City training in December(Image: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Jannik Vestergaard does not appear to be ready to face Watford this weekend after the Leicester City centre-back was left out of the Denmark squad.
Vestergaard was back in light training last week after recovering from a hernia operation, and while it was initially thought he wouldn’t be playing for City again until after the international break, his return to the grass at Seagrave gave him an outside chance of featuring at Vicarage Road.
However, that Vestergaard has not been named in the Denmark squad for their upcoming World Cup play-offs suggests neither will he be fit enough to play any part this weekend.
That means Gary Rowett has a choice between three centre-backs. Caleb Okoli and Ben Nelson have started all six matches under the manager, but his comments have suggested there will be changes at Watford, with Jamaal Lascelles a strong contender to come into the team.
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Vestergaard has not played for City since Marti Cifuentes’ final game in charge. But he was a regular under the former manager, starting 24 of the Spaniard’s 29 league matches in charge.
With Vestergaard in the team this season, City have averaged 1.33 points per game. Without him, they’re on 0.86 points per game.
The other centre-back making his way back from injury is Harry Souttar. After a year out with an Achilles tear, he then had to have an operation on his knee.
He has been back in training for a couple of weeks, and, like Vestergaard, will have World Cup ambitions. He’ll be hoping he can prove his fitness in time to be included in the Australia squad.
Socceroos manager Tony Popovic is keeping his fingers crossed that Rowett will give Souttar game-time in the final weeks of the campaign.
Popovic said last week: “(Assistant manager) Mile (Jedinak) has been visiting him recently. Prior to that, I had seen him at training, doing his rehabilitation. He’s on the pitch now with the team, so that’s progress.
“They’re in a difficult situation fighting relegation at the moment, they have a new manager, so hopefully Harry can get some game time soon.
“He had a knee injury, so there was a clean out in his knee. They’re not long but it’s four to six weeks that you need for the recovery time, so that was a bit of a setback for him because he was progressing well.
“He’s back training with the team now. I believe this is the second week now that he’s in full contact, full training. How that looks for him at Leicester I don’t know in terms of his coach.
“Does he (Rowett) feel that he’s ready to step in this situation that Leicester are in? We hope he does because we want him to play. I’m sure he can see that he’s a quality footballer.
“I’ve got no doubt he can see that. It’s just whether he believes that he’s ready to help the team now or whether he needs to wait. Of course we’d love him to play some games for his own confidence, for his own well-being.”
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