Shakespeare: Mendy Out For The Season

- Papy Mendy will miss the remainder of the 2016/17 campaign after undergoing surgery on his ankle
- The Frenchman has been limited to just eight appearances this term for Leicester City 
- Wes Morgan and Islam Slimani will not feature in Wednesday’s trip to Arsenal, says Craig Shakespeare

Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare has confirmed that midfielder will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his ankle.

The Frenchman signed for the Foxes from Nice last summer but has played only eight times in all competitions after injuring his ankle on his Premier League debut . 

Mendy has featured in the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and Emirates FA Cup since then, but has not played since mid-February and will miss the remainder of the 2016/17 campaign. 

Shakespeare said: “Unfortunately Papy Mendy had to have an ankle operation in France. He’s going to be back with us doing his rehab. He had a floating bone in there that needed looking after and he’s out now until the end of the season. 

“Everybody feels for him. He was training and you could tell he wasn’t quite at 100 per cent so we pulled him out of that. We sent him to see various specialists and now we think we’ve got to the root of the problem. We’re hoping that clears up and he’ll come back when he’s fully fit. 

“He’s a very energetic player and he gets around the pitch. His passing ability is very good. We’ll have to be patient with him because sometimes players take a while to settle in. We know he felt the pressure in wanting to do well, but he needs to make sure he’s 100 per cent fit now.”

Meanwhile, Shakespeare revealed both Wes Morgan (hamstring) and Islam Slimani (groin) will not feature in . 

“Unfortunately, Wes won’t make it,” added the City boss. “The first impression was it was cramp. He’s overstretched his hamstring, but it hasn’t gone into a full-blown pull yet. 

“We need to be mindful of that so he won’t make Wednesday. We’re hoping that it’s a precaution on Wednesday and we’ll then look towards Saturday. 

“Islam Slimani is still out with a groin strain. He hasn’t been on the pitch yet but we’re hoping to speed that recovery up and get him out this week.”