Eight options for Brendan Rodgers as long-term Leicester City problem gets worse

Leicester City begin the new season with not one but two problems out wide.

In the final pre-season game, Brendan Rodgers placed Timothy Castagne on the wing in the club’s latest bid to find somebody who could hold down the seemingly unsolvable issue on the right flank. It was an experiment that did not last very long because Castagne had to fall back into the defence when Ricardo Pereira got injured, but it had not been working all that well anyway, with the Belgian barely involved.

But now there’s a problem on the other side too. Harvey Barnes also picked up an injury against Sevilla and so will miss the opener against Brentford. When he had injuries last season, or simply needed resting, Rodgers could turn to Ademola Lookman, but that’s not possible now with the former loanee joining Atalanta this week.

It has left Rodgers with the question: do City even have the options to play a formation with wingers? Because when Barnes suffered his serious knee injury 18 months ago, City went to a 3-4-1-2, a system in which they won the FA Cup.

But that was out of necessity. Rodgers prefers playing with a back four, and has been preparing for the season with a back four, Ricardo, Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans, and James Justin playing together in four separate games.

If Rodgers wants to stick with that same shape, it may be a case of square pegs in round holes. Here are six players he could look at to play on the wings, and also two alternative systems he could employ.

The most natural winger available is Albrighton, and there are no surprises in what he provides. The full-back behind him will certainly get plenty of hard-working cover, while Jamie Vardy will get plenty of early balls to run onto with the title-winning pair on the