Leicester City: Enzo Maresca makes Stefano Sensi claim amid current crisis | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has mentioned January transfer window target Stefano Sensi amid the club's injury crisis in midfield.

Leicester City have lost their last three matches for the first time in 11 months, and the availability of most of their midfielders, or lack of it, is not making Maresca's job easier, as they look to fight off Ipswich Town and Leeds United for top spot in the Championship.

The boss of the Foxes has brought up the name of one of his main winter window targets in the midst of the problems that his side has in the middle of the park.

Enzo Maresca on Stefano Sensi and why he was needed

The Spaniard said, in the press conference before tonight's game against Sunderland, that Sensi was wanted by the club for moments like this when they are short in midfield.

When asked about what his plan for the midfield was against the Black Cats, he said via the Leicester Mercury: "This is a good question. Now we see. Since we started, we use Wilf or Cesare [Casadei] or Ricky or Dennis. It’s because, next to Harry [Winks], they give us defensive balance. Now with all of them out, it’s Kiernan and Yunus. To find the right balance in midfield between Harry and Yunus, it’s difficult. It is what it is.

"This is the reason why we were looking for Sensi. Because you never know during the season. We need to adapt. We need to find a different solution on Tuesday, even if it’s difficult. We’ll see."

Coincidentally, Sensi, who has a less than perfect injury record, is also out of action at the moment after opting to receive surgery on his ankle. He becomes a free agent in the summer.

Leicester's pursuit of Stefano Sensi

City's deal for the Italian midfielder collapsed on deadline day of the January window due to issues with the agreement over the loan fee and payment terms, as per Fabrizio Romano.

It was initially reported by the transfer expert that a deal would be completed a few days prior to the closing of the window, with Leicester paying Inter Milan €500,000 (£475,000) in an up-front loan fee, and €2 million (£1.7 million) in the summer if they were promoted back to the Premier League.

Sensi had completed a medical with the club, but had to return to Milan the day after the window closed.

Leicester's injury woes could cause serious issues

Maresca talked about the balance that he likes to have in his midfield, and the players that he would use to provide said balance. Casadei and Ndidi were two that he could use in these positions, but the Italian returned to his parent club, Chelsea, in the January window, and the Nigerian international is injured.

The Foxes weren't helped by two quickfire injuries to two midfield options last week: Ricardo Pereira and Dennis Praet.

Leicester aren't going to be able to have any midfield options on the bench, unless their Spanish boss finds some creative way to play his preferred system whilst leaving one of Winks, Akgun, or Dewsbury-Hall on the bench.

They're in a very tough spot right now. It may not have been as bad if they'd kept their 12-point gap that they had a month ago. Now, the space between them and the play-off spots is an ominous five points away.