Conor Coady will not have it easy at Leicester City as duo come to fore: View | OneFootball

It could be argued that Leicester City's strength in depth has been key to their success this term.

Saturday's 3-0 win against Birmingham City in the FA Cup reinforced just how strong their squad is, with plenty of fringe players coming in and putting in some excellent performances.

One of those fringe players, Yunus Akgun, even managed to get himself on the scoresheet against Blues, and he will be hoping to secure more first-team football in the coming months before his loan spell at the King Power Stadium comes to an end.

Conor Coady also started - and he will be delighted about that considering he hasn't secured that many minutes this term.

Playing for England not too long ago, he was seen as a brilliant signing for the Foxes along with fellow summer addition Harry Winks, during what was a productive window for Enzo Maresca's side.

Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu both departed the club on the expiration of their contracts at the end of last season and Daniel Amarety, who can operate in central defence, also left the King Power Stadium.

With that in mind, Coady looked set to have a very important role, but it hasn't all gone to plan for the defender since his switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Conor Coady's 2023/24 season

Coady, who was affected by injury issues during the early stages of the season, spent much of the campaign on the bench.

Remaining an unused substitute for a very decent chunk of the season, he has been limited to just 10 appearances in all competitions this term. Seven of these displays came in the Championship and two of them league appearances came in the form of very short cameos.

With this in mind, it wouldn't be a surprise if the 30-year-old was hugely frustrated at the moment.

Considering his age, he should still have plenty to offer in the coming years, having spent a respectable portion of his career operating in the Premier League with Wolves and Everton.

A more important role isn't guaranteed for Conor Coady in the future

Maresca's other options means Coady isn't guaranteed to be a regular starter in the future either.

Woes Faes and Jannik Vestergaard have played together regularly this term and although it's unclear whether the latter will remain at the King Power Stadium beyond the summer, it doesn't look as though either will be departing this window.

Callum Doyle is also back in action after spending much of the season out injured - and Maresca may want to play him at centre-back regularly to see whether he could be a suitable permanent addition in the summer.

Doyle can play on the left-hand side. Even if he does though, Harry Souttar and Ben Nelson are available as alternatives, with the former still having the opportunity to become a vital first-teamer at some point, considering he's only 25 and has performed extremely well at this level before.

And the Foxes may be keen to give Nelson a decent amount of minutes on the pitch, so he can develop at the King Power Stadium and not have to go elsewhere.

With all of these options in mind, Coady may not become a regular starter anytime soon, and he isn't helped by the fact the duo of Faes and Vestergaard has been the right formula this term.

The latter two are excellent starters to have at this level and their defensive record proves this, with Leicester conceding just 22 goals in 28 league games during 2023/24 so far.

That is the best record in the division and their success doesn't come as a surprise considering their CVs.

Both have operated at the top level before and could be Maresca's chosen pairing if the Foxes return to the top flight, with their full-back area potentially set to be a higher priority for them to address during the summer.