Brendan Rodgers admits he does not know when James Maddison will be fit to return after missing Leicester City's heavy home defeat to Newcastle United. Eddie Howe's side recorded a comfortable 3-0 away victory on Boxing Day to move into second spot in the Premier League.
Maddison was considered an injury doubt ahead of the top-flight fixture, and watched from the stands as the Magpies ran riot at the King Power Stadium. The one-cap England international earned a call-up to the World Cup, but did not feature for the Three Lions having struggled with an injury early in the tournament.
Rodgers insisted he would give the playmaker every chance to prove his fitness ahead of the clash with the Magpies. Maddison has returned to training, but no return date has yet been given for the 26-year-old.
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Rodgers said: "Sadly, he is not near to playing yet. He was out this morning on to the grass but he's still feeling pain on his knee. I'll speak to the medical team in the morning, and see what the timeline might be.
"It's a different part of his knee, he's had it around the back of his knee and now he's feeling it in the front part. So I need to listen to the experts and medical advice and take it from there."
Leicester will face Newcastle at St James' Park in little over a fortnight, having been drawn against Howe's side in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup. The Magpies failed in two summer bids for Maddison, and are understood to retain an interest in the attacking midfielder who is set to enter the final 18 months' of his contract.
Maddison has shrugged off speculation over his future so far, registering seven goals and four assists in the Premier League to date. Rodgers dismissed talk of the playmaker's absence coming at a convenient time, with the Leicester boss keen for the Newcastle transfer target to return to action as soon as possible.
Rodgers added: "I want him available to help us, you see when he's not playing the quality that we miss with the creativity in the team. That's my only thinking really, I want him available all the time.
"When you have good players, they're always going to be linked to other clubs. I'm always fairly relaxed on that. I just need him available now to play for us."
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