Rodgers tells Leicester man to ‘stay away’ from squad after being called out for ‘strange’ treatment

Jannik Vestergaard is unlikely to play for Leicester City again after being told by Brendan Rodgers to ‘stay away’ from the first-team squad.

The Danish defender joined the Foxes from Premier League rivals Southampton in August 2021.

Leicester – whose squad has the ninth highest market value in the Premier League – paid a fee believed to be in the region of £14million to sign Vestergaard – who has been used sparingly under Rodgers.

The 30-year-old had impressed for the Saints before joining Rodgers’ side but struggled for consistent playing time in his debut season at the King Power.

Vestergaard played 20 times across all competitions in 2021-22, with his last Premier League appearance coming off the bench late on in a match against West Ham in February 2022.

This season has been a lot worse, however, with his three first-team appearances all coming in domestic cup competitions.

In fact, the former Southampton man hasn’t been in a Premier League matchday squad in any of Leicester’s previous five top-flight encounters.

Vestergaard recently conducted an interview with Danish newspaper EkstraBladet that was published on March 1.

He admitted that he has found his lack of minutes “strange” after feeling “wanted” by Rodgers before securing a transfer to Leicester.

“I really felt wanted by Brendan Rodgers,” Vestergaard said.

“While I was at Southampton, I had contact with him a year and a half before I switched, where he called me and we had personal talks, and where he really convinced me that I should switch to Leicester.

“So, Brendan Rodgers and the club knew exactly which player they were buying with both my strengths and weaknesses, and it’s hard to understand that from one moment to the next I’m suddenly unusable.

“It feels strange, I must admit.”

This is according to the Daily Mail and has been confirmed by Danish sports magazine Tipsbladet.

The former states that Vestergaard is ‘training alone’ due to the aforementioned interview.

The Dane is ‘working with a fitness coach on a separate pitch from his colleagues’.

It is added that Fulham were reportedly willing to pay £16m for the centre-back last summer, but the player was ‘reluctant’ to join a newly-promoted team.

And in January, Hertha Berlin and AS Monaco were keen but Vestergaard did not move after his wife told not to travel due to being heavily pregnant.

The Tipsbladet report claims that Vertergaard has been told to ‘stay away’ after being advised by Rodgers.

Vestergaard’s Leicester contract is set to expire in 2024.