Leicester Manager Van Nistelrooy Addresses Winks’ Recovery, Transfer Window, and Defensive Concerns

Ruud van Nistelrooy, the manager of Leicester City, addressed reporters ahead of the club’s Premier League match against Brighton on Sunday, scheduled for a 14:00 GMT kick-off. The following are the main points from his press conference: Regarding player availability, van Nistelrooy stated, “The squad from Tuesday is available. Odsonne [Edouard] was back on the pitch, so that’s an addition to Tuesday’s squad. Other than that, we don’t expect any changes.” He also offered an update on Harry Winks’ condition, noting, “Harry is progressing well but he’s not yet into team training.” Van Nistelrooy confirmed that funds would be accessible for potential acquisitions during the January transfer window should they be required. He elaborated, “We said there is no rush to do things and I agree with that. The squad we have is getting all of the chances to prove themselves over this month. There is time after that to make a good assessment and we make a decision in January.” Addressing the issue of conceding more than 30 attempts against West Ham, the manager commented, “There is attempts and there is chances. We looked at the attempts and some of them are absolutely not chances, but we [conceded] over three expected goals so we have to look at those moments particularly.” Regarding his strategy for improvement in this area, he explained, “It’s more when do we get opened up, when are those bigger chances occurring. When we are in a better shape with the backline and midfield, the 4-4-2 shape is our defensive foundation. It’s a matter of shifting instead of following the man. It was a good week to work and hopefully we can show some improvement.” Concerning the ongoing search for additional backroom staff, van Nistelrooy stated, “It’s a similar story to the squad. I’m very open to working with the people here and it’s going well. There is a possibility to take my own people but there won’t be massive changes – we’re talking one or two people with the current people here.” Speaking about Sunday’s opponents, he remarked, “They’ve had some excellent results against the top clubs. It’s impressive the way they are playing and the new manager has settled in and had a flying start.”