Papy Mendy will be a valued player when he returns to Leicester City – potentially as an African champion. It has now been confirmed that the midfielder has regained a spot in City’s 25-man Premier League squad, and so will be able to feature in the second half of the season. He is expected to start when his nation take on Egypt on Sunday, with Senegal looking to be crowned African champions for the first time.
Brendan Rodgers said: “Papy was very unfortunate not to make the squad purely because of the injuries we had. We had to put other people in the squad who could cover that position. It’s a testament to his professionalism and his own mentality and attitude, how he’s kept going. I’ve seen that throughout my time here. He’s so professional, and his attitude and his approach to staying fit with the squad here has allowed him to go away and you see the performances he’s given with Senegal. That really shows you the outstanding attitude Papy has. Congratulations to him for making the final. When he comes back, he comes into our squad and like he’s always been, he will be a valued player for us, even if his contributions have been limited because of the form of other players and how we work. He has still always proven to be an important player in our squad.”
Mendy for Benkovic was the only change to City’s senior 25-man line-up, which does not feature Wesley Fofana nor Luke Thomas, as they qualify for the unlimited Under-21 list.
