Ben Nelson to miss most of 2026-27 after ACL rupture | OneFootball

Ben Nelson will miss most of the 2026-27 season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in a pre-season match.

According to BBC UK, the Leicester City defender went off midway in the defeat by Genoa, with the severity confirmed before the first-round League Cup tie with Northampton. The 22-year-old made 27 appearances last season in all competitions.

Head coach Russell Martin called the setback really disappointing for the player and the club, and said they will support him through his recovery. He added they will miss him.

Martin said the club will probably be more active for a central defender in the transfer market than they would have been. Harry Souttar, who captained Australia at this summer's World Cup, will wear the armband against the Cobblers. Martin praised Souttar's form since an Achilles injury and said he thinks the centre-back deserves to be captain.

Will Alves is fit. Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy has trained and could potentially feature against Northampton. Conor Chaplin will be absent but could return for the first league game against Notts County next week.

Martin also highlighted winger Wes Burns, signed from Ipswich Town on a three-year deal, and Chaplin. He said both have promotion experience and many games at this level, describing the business as a coup. He added both could have been in the Championship and are excited about what Leicester want to achieve.

Source: BBC UK

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”