No concerns for Ranieri as Vardy, Morgan and King miss training

Claudio Ranieri is confident of having Jamie Vardy, Wes Morgan and Andy King available for Saturday’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace despite the trio missing training on Thursday.

Vardy went off after 85 minutes in to the 1-0 Champions League victory over Copenhagen on Tuesday and sustained a groin injury, while King took a knock and Morgan is suffering from a hip issue.

The trio were given time to rest on Thursday, but Ranieri suggested it was just a precautionary measure and expects them all to be available for the visit of Palace this weekend.

“King, Morgan and Vardy didn’t train but I think tomorrow they will be okay,” said the Italian in his pre-match news conference.

“Vardy had a little groin problem but we just want to be sure he recovers. King got a kick on the shin but he’ll be okay.”

Ranieri also confirmed Matty James is nearing a return from a cruciate ligament injury that has kept him out of competitive action since May 2015.

“Matty James for the first time has trained for seven days without pain. It’s fantastic. We need a player like him,” added the manager.

“He is ready to keep going in his training session and maybe next week, not Monday but Friday, he could play with the youth team.”

The Italian expects Palace to pose a similar threat to Copenhagen and acknowledged his side will need to produce an intelligent display to come away with the win.

“We made a very good match on Tuesday, but now we think of Crystal Palace. They are strong and tall, similar to Copenhagen,” said Ranieri.

“Palace are strong at the back and then they have good players at the front. A good team and well organised. We must be clever.”

Thursday saw Ranieri celebrate his 65th birthday, and the manager insisted he has no retirement plans in place.

He added: “I’m an old man but I continue. I keep going, I feel good. For me my job is my life, I want to carry on.”