Jamie Vardy’s injury is not as bad as Leicester initially feared and the striker could be fit for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Aston Villa next week.
Vardy was withdrawn during the first half of the Premier League win against West Ham on Wednesday after he pulled up after making a clearance inside his own box.
The worry was the 33-year-old had suffered a hamstring problem and could be set for weeks on the sidelines, but it appears nothing more than just “a twinge in his glute”.
Leicester’s leading scorer this season will not be involved in the FA Cup at Brentford on Saturday but Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers is hopeful of having his talisman back against Villa on Tuesday.
“He’s not available for the weekend and there will be a question mark for Tuesday, although it’s certainly not as serious as we first thought,” said Rodgers.
“It’s not his hamstring, it’s a twinge in his glute, so we’re hopeful for Tuesday, but there’s a little bit of work to do. He’ll get some work in with the medical team. He’ll stay with them for the weekend.
“He’s much better than directly after the game, when he was tight and sore and struggling to move, but today he was much better.”
The news was not so good for Leicester regarding midfielder Nampalys Mendy, who was also forced off in the first half against the Hammers with a knee injury.
Rodgers thinks he is looking at an absence of between four and six weeks.
With injuries mounting and Leicester still competing on three fronts, Rodgers faces a delicate balancing act when it comes to team selection.
The Foxes are battling with Manchester City for second place in the Premier League and face Villa three days after their fourth-round FA Cup tie against Brentford.
Asked about his team selection at Griffin Park, he said: “The key coming into the game is picking a team that allows for intensity and energy, but also bearing in mind the important game on Tuesday.
“We’ll have a strong, energetic team that can hopefully get us into the next round.
“Brentford are a good side and it is going to be a really tough game for us – and that is what we are anticipating and what we are ready for.
“I’ve enjoyed analysing Brentford. I’ve seen them before but not in such great detail.
“They have the courage to play football in the Championship, which is deemed a league where you can’t play it – which is totally untrue. You can, you can play football and be aggressive.
“Their positioning game is very good, their movement is good and they have the courage to play the game from the back.
“I’m looking forward to going to Griffin Park as I used to go there with Chelsea reserves, we used to play our games there. I used to love it there, the pitch was fantastic and it’s a good club.
“This will be my first time back for a number of years so all-in-all I am looking forward to the game.”
