The difficult Harry Winks, Leicester City situation Marti Cifuentes is facing revealed | OneFootball

Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes is facing a tough situation which involves a number of senior players

Under-fire Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes is facing a tough situation regarding certain members of his squad.

The Foxes currently find themselves 16th in the Championship table, which is far from what most supporters would’ve expected heading into the season.

Cifuentes’ side started the term in strong form, winning three of their first four matches to position themselves as one of the leading candidates to secure promotion. However, they have claimed just another three victories since the end of August, which has seen the Foxes drop off the leading pack.

They have lost their last two matches against Sheffield United and Southampton, which is a particular point of concern. Both of these sides struggled immensely during the opening stages of the campaign but now look to have bypassed Leicester.

With a potential point deduction also looming, pressure on Cifuentes has started to mount with calls for his sacking beginning to grow among supporters.

However, there are multiple issues he is reportedly tackling at the King Power Stadium.

Marti Cifuentes is facing difficult Leicester City squad decision including Harry Winks

One of the reasons Leicester were tipped for success before this season was down to the sheer volume of quality they have within their ranks.

The Foxes managed to keep a number of operators who represented them in the Premier League, and indeed those who helped them to the second-tier title two years ago under Enzo Maresca, which meant they should’ve held an advantage over most of the Championship.

However, that blessing has turned out to be more of a curse.

According to the Daily Mail, Cifuentes is facing an extremely tough decision when it comes down to the playing time of some of his senior squad members.

The likes of Harry Winks, Wout Faes and Jannik Vestergaard have fallen out of favour with supporters, which has given Leicester’s manager a tough decision to make when it comes to selecting his starting 11.

If the Spaniard decides to pick these players, he faces backlash from supporters when they make mistakes on the pitch, only increasing calls for him to be removed from his position.

Players such as Winks aren’t overly thrilled to be operating out of the King Power Stadium at this moment in time too, with the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder named as someone who had his heart set on leaving during the summer. There were suggestions of his contract being paid up, but they never materialised.

Cifuentes can’t just decide to drop these players from the squad, as it decreases their value in a time when the Foxes are in desperate need of money. Furthermore, they could become disruptive if axed from the squad, which is another thing for the manager to contend with.

Marti Cifuentes must prioritise Leicester City’s performance

Cifuentes clearly has a lot of factors to consider when it comes to compiling his squad, but he can’t afford to overthink things.

Although Leicester City seem patient regarding making a managerial switch, if the club slip much further towards the relegation zone, that may soon change.

Therefore, the Spaniard must prioritise getting results, without considering anything else, such as the potential decrease in players' value.

In the end, the most important thing for any manager is getting points on the board and that is exactly what Cifuentes has to start doing more frequently.

It's a results-based business, as the old adage goes, and results are exactly what Cifuentes needs if he wants to keep his job for much longer.

However, it's clear that balancing the squad - one which contains a litany of high-profile big-earners - is no easy task, and while critics will point to the quality within the Foxes dressing room amid the side's underperformance this term, the challenges that Cifuentes is facing must be recognised.