Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed Wilfred Ndidi missed their clash against Crystal Palace on Monday because they didn't want to risk him.
The 24-year-old midfielder only recently returned from a groin injury which he suffered in September against Burnley.
The Nigeria international has played seven games since his return to action but was rested in the Foxes’ draw against Palace at Selhurst Park.
Rodgers explained the midfielder was left out of the encounter to avoid a relapse of his injury and in order to give more time to recover fully.
"Wilf, you see how important he is for us, and he’s starting to get game-time, but again, we don’t want to risk him,” Rodgers told Leicester Mercury.
“We’ve got all the measurement of where he’s at and what zones he’s in, so we have to be careful with him.”
Ndidi was rock solid for Leicester in the 2019-20 season, featuring in 32 league games to help the club finish fifth and grab a Europa League ticket.
The midfielder has, however, been limited to nine games across all competitions in the current campaign due to his injury problems.
Ndidi has featured in a number of positions for Leicester since teaming up with the side, including the centre-back role where he also shone.
He remains one of the most consistent membes of the Foxes squad, having featured in more than 130 games since his arrival at the King Power Stadium.
Ndidi will hope to make a return for Leicester City when they take on Newcastle United in their next Premier League game on January 3.
The King Power Stadium outfit are currently third on the league table behind leaders Liverpool and Manchester United after gathering 29 points from 16 games.