Leicester v Coventry: Conor Coady to miss Foxes' derby opener
- Published
Conor Coady completed his £7.5m move from Wolves to Leicester City on 1 July
Leicester City defender Conor Coady will miss Sunday's season opener at home to Coventry with a foot injury.
New Foxes boss Enzo Maresca is not sure how long he will be without the 30-year-old summer signing from Wolves.
Coady, who was injured in a friendly with OH Leuven, misses a meeting with new Coventry signing Ellis Simms, his team-mate for the second half of last season while on loan at Everton.
"Coady won't be with us on Sunday and for the next games," said Maresca.
"It's a big shame. Not only because he's a good player but also because he's a leader. You can hear his voice. He's talking with everybody. When you have this kind of player on the pitch, it's a boost for the manager.
"We are still waiting to see how he improves. Then we can finally have an idea about the time. That's why we don't know the timing because they are still analysing the situation."
Enzo Maresca will be taking charge of his first Leicester City league game
The relegated Foxes have two other players out injured in Victor Kristiansen and Alex Smithies, but Jamie Vardy, Dennis Praet and Wout Faes are fit for the Championship fixture after missing last Sunday's final pre-season friendly - the 4-0 defeat by Liverpool in Singapore.
The meeting of beaten play-offs finalists Coventry with the 2016 Premier League champions has been complicated by transfer talk surrounding Brazilian midfielder Gustavo Hamer - and a week of speculation over whether the Sky Blues would sign striker Haji Wright in time for the big kick-off.
Having been at the club's Sky Blue Lodge training base at Ryton since Wednesday, the 25-year-old United States international has now completed a club record £7.7m move from Turkish side Antalyaspor.
But City boss Mark Robins may not necessarily use Wright on Sunday.
"What we have is what we've got," Robins said. "My thoughts have been working with the players who are in the building and getting a really good performance on Sunday."
Hamer, who has a year left on his Coventry deal, is expected to make his first appearance since limping off at Wembley - but Robins acknowledged he has been the subject of bids from elsewhere.
One decision Robins must make is whether to risk last season's first-choice keeper Ben Wilson, who was kept out of the Sky Blues' friendlies with a back problem, or give a debut to another summer signing Brad Collins.