Friday 3 February 2017 16:11, UK
Claudio Ranieri is confident Leonardo Ulloa will back down over his strike threat and play for Leicester again.
The forward handed in a transfer request in January but was unable to secure a move away from the Premier League champions before the close of the window, with Sunderland failing with a third and final bid on Deadline Day.
Ulloa took to social media on Monday to state that he would not play for Leicester again, claiming that he had been "betrayed" by Ranieri after not being offered a new and improved contract last summer.
The 30-year-old is currently on the sidelines with a thigh injury and will miss the Super Sunday clash against Manchester United at the King Power, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 3.30pm.
When asked whether he expected Ulloa to feature again for the Foxes, Ranieri said: "Why not? He'll play, he's a professional 100 per cent, don't worry.
"He is a good team-mate and they [the squad] are happy. The situation is a normal situation, we didn't want to sell him.
"Of course he is frustrated because he wanted to play and go but he is a fantastic man, a good player but he is also a good professional player. Sooner or later when he is ready he will have the chance to play.
"I know he tried to say everything and wanted to push hard [to go] but it's OK."
Algeria forward Islam Slimani, who recently returned from Africa Cup on Nations, is also unavailable for the home match against United due to a groin problem.
Leicester are currently hovering precariously close to the relegation zone in 16th place and could drop into the bottom three prior to kick-off if results go against them on Saturday.
And Ranieri urged his team, who are yet to score a league goal in 2017, to keep battling following Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at Burnley where Sam Vokes appeared to handle before scoring a late winner.
He added: "They have to fight for Leicester not for me. Everybody is fighting, we lost in the 87th minute and you know how we lost but we fight until the end.
"The pressure is split to everybody. All my players want to win. Then the pressure is on the manager, always, but it's not my first year as a manager."
