Leicester City: Eye-opening Enzo Maresca claim on Tom Cannon is baffling - View | OneFootball

It has been a tough few months for Leicester City in the Championship.

The Foxes looked destined to make an immediate return to the Premier League after an outstanding first half of the season, but that is now far from guaranteed after a significant decline in form.

Leicester suffered their second consecutive defeat, and their sixth in their last 10 league games, as they were beaten 1-0 by relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle at Home Park on Friday night, with Mustapha Bundu's 21st-minute strike sealing all three points for the Pilgrims.

It was another underwhelming performance from the Foxes, but they did create chances, with Patson Daka missing two golden opportunities in the second half before substitute Jamie Vardy was denied by Michael Cooper.

Thankfully for Leicester, other results went in their favour over the weekend, and they currently sit second in the table, one point behind leaders Ipswich Town and one point clear of third-placed Leeds United, with a game in hand on the pair.

Failing to convert chances has been a huge problem for the Foxes during their recent poor form, leading supporters to question why big-money summer signing Tom Cannon has not been given more of a chance, and comments by Maresca on the striker's situation at the club raised eyebrows this week.

"I feel the same as I did with Daka at the start of the season. It's a shame. It's sad, because he trains fantastic every day. At any other club he could play and score many goals, but because we have so many strikers at the club I need to make a decision," Maresca told BBC Radio Leicester.

It is clear that Cannon is down the pecking order at the King Power Stadium, but as the club's strikers continue to struggle, pressure will increase on Maresca to play the 21-year-old.

Enzo Maresca must reconsider Tom Cannon stance

Cannon attracted widespread Championship interest in the summer after an excellent loan spell at Preston North End in the second half of last season, during which he scored eight goals and provided one assist in 21 appearances in all competitions.

Preston, Norwich, Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers, Stoke City, Birmingham City, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United and Middlesbrough were all said to be keen, but Leicester won the race for Cannon's signature, completing a £7.5 million deal in September.

A back injury prevented Cannon from making his debut for the Foxes until December, but it looked as though he was finding his feet at the club after scoring three goals in two games against Huddersfield Town and Millwall in early January.

However, Cannon's game time has been surprisingly limited since then, with Daka, Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho regularly preferred ahead of him, and he has even been left out of the matchday squad altogether on a number of occasions, with Maresca stating that he cannot include all of his four strikers.

Cannon was named on the bench against Plymouth on Friday, but despite his team desperately needing a goal, Maresca only introduced Vardy from the bench in a straight swap with Daka, opting to stick with the same shape.

By Maresca's own admission, Cannon would score goals for most other Championship sides, and as his strikers continue to misfire, his omission is baffling.

Iheanacho has not got on the scoresheet since October and Daka has not found the back of the net since early February, so it would surely make sense for Maresca to give a proven second tier goalscorer like Cannon an opportunity, or at least bring him on as a substitute when his team are losing.

With Vardy and Iheanacho's contracts set to expire in the summer, and uncertainty over Daka's future, Cannon is Leicester's only long-term attacking option, and he could help to give new life to the Foxes' faltering promotion push.

After Daka's difficult evening at Home Park, it seems likely that Vardy will come into the team against West Bromwich Albion next weekend, but the calls for Cannon are becoming harder for Maresca to ignore.