Leeds United have been handed a boost ahead of next weekend's trip to Leicester City after the Foxes revealed striker Jamie Vardy will miss the clash through injury.
The former England striker will undergo hernia surgery which will rule him out for several weeks, meaning he will miss next Sunday's King Power Stadium clash against Marcelo Bielsa's side.
"We've been managing him over the past few months." Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers said. "He can't hold it off for much longer - there's a lot of time in the season for him to make an impact."
Vardy has netted 11 goals in the Premier League so far and was put in an excellent performance at Elland Road when Leicester handed Leeds a 4-1 defeat in November.
"We've played without Jamie before and scored and won," Rodgers added.
"He's contributed to the team over these past few weeks even if he hasn't scored.
"When you don't have one of the top strikers in the league, it's always going to be disappointing. It's not overly concerning, it's our best chance of getting him back."
The Foxes now have two fit, recognised forwards in their squad in Ayoze Perez and Kelechi Iheanacho, but the pair have netted just once league goal between them so far this term.
"Perez is a natural striker. He doesn't threaten the backline as quickly as Vardy, but he's a great finisher," Rodgers continued "I've got Kels who can offer a threat too."
Vardy assisted the first and scored the fourth against Leeds earlier in the season in a man of the match display.
