Ndidi ‘safe and well’ after Nigeria airport ordeal – Cooper

Wilfred Ndidi is “in a safe place” and available to play for Leicester City after being stranded overnight in an airport in Libya on Sunday, Foxes manager Steve Cooper has said.

Midfielder Ndidi and his Nigeria team-mates had been due to land in the city of Benghzi but were diverted 230km away to Al Abraq, leading to the squad boycotting their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya, which had been scheduled for Tuesday.

“He’s fine,” Cooper said. “He’s back with us, safe and well. We were in close contact with him throughout the situation they found themselves in.

“He kept us updated. There were wifi issues so it wasn’t as often as we would have liked. He was back with us soon after and has trained.

“He’s in a safe place, and that includes the mental side of it too. He trained really well [on Wednesday], which was pleasing to see. Maybe he needed that release. We’ve checked with him in every way we can.”

On the squad’s international break 🗓️

“It’s a less intense period when you’re not preparing for a Premier League game, but it’s a good opportunity to get some good work in and get ready for the games to come.” pic.twitter.com/6MLxViKGPK

— Leicester City (@LCFC) October 17, 2024

Southampton vs Leicester

Fresh from beating Bournemouth at home for his first Premier League win since being appointed by Leicester in June, Cooper is targeting consecutive victories when his players visit winless Southampton on Saturday (3pm BST).

“It’s great to get everybody back together,” said Cooper. “We have such a good opportunity to build momentum. We’ve seen signs of what we want to become.

“Training days are about striving towards what we want to be. We see everything behind the scenes and we know the direction we’re travelling in.

“It’s a rocky road sometimes but we’re excited about the journey ahead. We’re really motivated to go to Southampton. It’s a chance to go back-to-back wins and create more positivity.”

Back in action 🙌#SOULEI pic.twitter.com/v46o1Fz9MN

— Leicester City (@LCFC) October 17, 2024

Leicester injuries, team news

Cooper said Patson Daka is “not far off the final stages of rehab” following a “serious operation” on an ankle injury the forward sustained during pre-season.

Centre-back Jannik Vestergaard, who also had an ankle injury, is “in a much better place” after representing Denmark during the international break, while goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk has been on the training pitch as he continues his comeback from a broken foot.

Hamza Choudhury is making “decent progress” from a dislocated shoulder. “With an injury like his, it’s always [about deciding] whether there is an operation or you let it recover naturally,” added Cooper.

“We’ve not gone down the operation route and he’s recovering nicely. He’s attacking the injury in a ruthless manner. He’ll be back when he’s ready, but we don’t know when yet.”