Harry Souttar is determined to stay and compete for his spot at Leicester City despite his limited playing time under Enzo Maresca. With only one Championship appearance and one League Cup start, Souttar finds himself third in line behind first-choice center-back pair Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes. Despite this, the £15million signing from Stoke City in January has no plans to look for a move, including a loan, to gain more playing time.
“I definitely want to stay and fight for my place, for sure,” Souttar told the Australian Associated Press. “Obviously, I know it’s difficult with the results we’ve been having. But I’ve had a good couple of conversations with the manager and he knows that whenever he needs me, I’ll be 100 per cent ready. They’re flying at the moment, top of the league, so it’s hard to get in. But all I can do is keep my training levels up, keep my fitness levels up, and, when called upon, be ready and hopefully perform well.”
After helping Australia secure a 7-0 win over Bangladesh in a World Cup qualifier, Souttar expressed his desire to repay the faith shown in him by national boss Graham Arnold. He aims to accumulate more playing time at Leicester before the Asian Cup in January, which could see him miss part of the Championship campaign.
“It’s kind of a frustrating time but I can’t really complain too much because they (Leicester) are top of the league and the boys are flying. It’s just great to be back on the grass with the boys and I just love every minute of it.”
Leicester currently sits at the top of the Championship after 16 matches but only leads Ipswich Town on goal difference after consecutive defeats before the international break.
