Leicester City winger Demarai Gray set to miss six weeks

Leicester City winger Demarai Gray is set to miss the entire month of October due to an injury picked up at the death of the Carabao Cup clash against Wolverhampton on Tuesday. Gray initially believed he’d broken his leg sliding into a challenge near the corner flag to preserve the 0-0 draw that City went on to win on penalties.

When the former Birmingham man was stretchered off with his ankle in an inflatable cast, it was clear that he’d be seriously injured. When he saw his shin protector poking through his sock, he mistook it for a fractured bone, which gives some indication of the amount of pain the U21 England international was in.

Classy from Wolves, who, I should add, are a vastly better football team than I expected them to be.

It’s a huge disappointment for Gray, who seemed once again on the verge of staking a claim to a spot in the starting XI in Claude Puel’s squad. Assuming that the six week timetable is accurate, Gray will miss out on league matches against Newcastle, Everton, Arsenal, West Ham, and Cardiff City and would be in contention to return for the 10 November match against Burnley at the King Power.

The other club most relieved that Gray’s injury was not as severe as originally thought is West Bromich Albion. The Baggies have taken Foxes attacking midfielder Harvey Barnes on loan, and he’s been their star man this season. There was serious concern among the Brom faithful that City would have recalled Barnes if Gray were to miss more than a couple of months. As it stands, Barnes will likely remain at the Hawthorns, Marc Albrighton will move into the starting XI, and Fousseni Diabate will be the first option of the bench.

Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for Gray and that he comes back stronger than ever.