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Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers is unsure how long England midfielder James Maddison will be absent with a knee issue that has come “indirectly” from his time at the World Cup.
Maddison was selected as part of England’s 26-man squad for Qatar despite having a knee issue.
He did not play at the World Cup and missed the Foxes’ Premier League defeat by Newcastle on Monday.
“It’s a different part of his knee,” Rodgers said after the defeat.
“He obviously had a problem with the back of his knee; now he has something at the front.
“This is something that has come from indirectly having an issue while he was away. He is just feeling something on the front of his knee that the medical team are trying to get to the bottom of.
“He was out this morning on the grass but he is still feeling his knee. He is not ready to play.”
Asked if he had a time frame on Maddison’s return, Rodgers said: “I don’t know. I will speak to the medical team in the morning [Tuesday].”
Maddison made his England debut in November 2019 – still his only cap for his country – and was selected by Southgate after his excellent form for Leicester.
He was forced to sit out training sessions in the early stages of England’s World Cup campaign before being named as an unused substitute in the latter stages of their involvement in the tournament.
Maddison was heavily linked with a move to Newcastle last summer, but Rodgers says his omission from the squad is not to deter interest from rival clubs during the January transfer window.
Rodgers added: “I want him available to help us. He is not playing and it’s his quality we miss.
“When you have good players they are always going to be linked with other clubs, but I want him available all the time.”
