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Ryan Bennett’s absence from the squad that faced Manchester City suggests Leicester City will pick up their centre-back pursuit in the summer.

Bennett was eligible to feature for the first time since joining on loan from Wolves on deadline day, but was left out of the 18 on Saturday, despite Brendan Rodgers opting for a back three.

Christian Fuchs joined regular duo Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans on the pitch, while Wes Morgan was cover on the bench.

It is likely to be one of the few occasions that Leicester utilise a back three over the remaining months of the season, and Bennett’s inability to break into the matchday squad suggests he will have an even tougher time when Rodgers reverts to two centre-halves in a back four.

“We had three centre-halves playing and we had Wes on the bench, so I didn’t need another one,” Rodgers said on Bennett’s absence after the 1-0 defeat.

“It was the same with Demarai [Gray], I didn’t need four wingers on the bench, we already had three and obviously we needed to get a midfield player in.

“Ryan’s come in and he understands the position. He’s here for cover but to challenge. We’ll see how that looks over the next few months but he’ll be good for us.”

There is a clause in Bennett’s loan contract that if the centre-back makes a certain number of appearances, City are obligated to pay the negotiated fee, reported to be £5m, and sign him permanently.

Barring an injury crisis, it seems unlikely that will happen.

With Bennett unlikely to sign permanently in the summer, City would be expected to restart their hunt for a centre-back.

Filip Benkovic will return and will provide cover for Evans and Soyuncu, but with Wes Morgan entering his twilight years, even if the skipper does sign a new contract, he is unlikely to feature often. A new centre-back will therefore be targeted.

City had made Juventus’s Merih Demiral their principal target for the January window, and as a young, highly-rated centre-half, he would not have been considered a stop-gap like Bennett.

City’s plans were dashed, first when Demiral broke into the Juventus starting line-up around Christmas, and then when he suffered a serious knee injury in January.

City may return for the Turkish international if he returns to fitness by the summer, but they may look at other targets too.

Last summer, they made approaches for both Burnley’s James Tarkowski and Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake.