Ricardo Pereira and Timothy Castagne will get their fair share of chances, Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has said, as the pair vie for the club’s right-back slot. Both were rested on Wednesday night at Millwall, with Daniel Amartey taking the slot, having shared the position between each other over the opening weeks of the campaign.
Brendan Rodgers said: “It’s not so much a battle. We’ll play the players. There’s not one that’s going to play every single game. We need to be as intense and as fresh as we can be in the game. Sometimes that will mean them playing, or maybe having a game out and the next one coming in, to bring that physicality to the team. We’ve got lots of games, and lots of games we want to do well in, and we’ll certainly need both of them.”
There is a possibility that both could be in the starting line-up when City take on Burnley on Saturday. In the second half at Brighton, Castagne came on in place of Ryan Bertrand at left-back, where he is more than adept, giving the Belgian a route back into the team. Plus, with the right-wing role not yet settled, Ricardo could be pushed forward with Castagne in behind. It was a combination used fleetingly last season, but Rodgers was enthusiastic about using the Portuguese international as a winger.
Brendan Rodgers said: “He has that talent. It’s his best work when he’s up there. He’s a different type. You play him there, he’s a dribbler, he can play inside or outside. That’s the strength of Ricky, he can play in a number of different positions.”