Stubborn Enzo Maresca making £7.5m Leicester City deal appear more baffling: View | OneFootball

When Leicester City confirmed the £7.5m signing of Conor Coady, they were lauded for being able to attract a Premier League level defender to their promotion project in the Championship.

But after just 13 appearances in all competitions, Enzo Maresca has seemingly deemed Coady surplus to requirements despite Leicester's drop in form.

The Foxes have won just three of their last ten games, letting a 17-point lead at the top of the Championship slip.

Leicester still have a game in hand on their promotion rivals Ipswich Town and Leeds United, but after back-to-back losses, they quickly need to rediscover some momentum if they're going to ensure automatic promotion.

Maresca has been loyal to a core group of players all season, with only Bristol City,Watford and Coventry City using fewer players, according to Transfermarkt.

It's an approach that served Maresca well as he looked to implement his style on the team, taking the Championship by storm and racing into what appeared to be an unassailable lead before the new year.

But with Leicester looking devoid of leaders at the moment, Maresca's decision not to use former Wolves captain Coady has been surprising and has left many fans wondering why, especially given their financial problems, they splashed out on the 31-year-old.

Injury leaves Coady out in the cold before the season has even started

With Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes both vying for a starting berth under new manager Maresca, Coady arrived at Leicester knowing he'd have a task on his hand to work his way into the starting XI.

The centre-half settled in well during pre-season, but after suffering a broken foot in training, he was ruled out until the end of September.

Coady was expected to play an integral role in Maresca's new-look Leicester side. But after missing the opening five games, he found himself out in the cold with Leicester starting the season in blistering form.

The former Everton loanee had to wait a further four games upon his return before making his competitive debut for Leicester in a comprehensive 3-0 win over Preston.

Coady, though, would find himself back on the periphery, starting just four games in the following five months.

With Leicester cruising towards promotion, little was made of Coady's lack of game time.

But with the Foxes now suffering a crisis of confidence across the pitch, Coady is lacking the match sharpness needed to come in and bring stability to Leicester's backline.

Maresca unlikely to ring the changes so close to the end of the season

Coady's leadership qualities would undoubtedly add calm and confidence to Leicester's defence.

But with just four games left of the season, Maresca will be wary of tinkering with his side, even in light of their recent form.

For the Italian, consistency breeds confidence, hence why he has only used 27 players this term, and whilst Coady has been a present member of Leicester's squad, he hasn't played enough to understand the nuances of the team or to build relationships on the field with his teammates.

Coady is a capable defender who has experienced what it takes to gain promotion from the Championship with Wolves.

But after his early injury setback, he has never been able to stake a claim for a starting berth, and as the Foxes approach a pivotal few weeks, Maresca is unlikely to take a risk on the veteran centre-half.