It’s been a pivotal International break for several of our players. Daniel Amartey in particular. At just twenty-two years old, the Leicester City man was given the Ghana captaincy. His side’s World Cup qualification isn’t guaranteed, they still chase second place having been held to a 0-0 draw with Uganda. Amartey could have made even more headlines had his goal not been ruled out. The armband was a big show of faith in Amartey though.

Leicester City yet to play to Amartey’s strengths

While he’s not yet been given the captaincy on a permanent basis, it’s a huge honour that he was the man they turned to. Ghana were without their stars and the youngster has struggled to break into the Leicester side. Amartey was an early Claudio Ranieri signing in the 2016 summer window. Bought from Copenhagen, the Danish fans were disappointed to lose him. He was young, talented and athletic.

In the past year and a half, we’ve seen him make just 30 appearances. He has a goal to show for it, but we’ve rarely given him the chance to shine. He’s been a fringe player for us, a utility player who fills the gaps when we need them. Offers new energy from the bench. We’ve played him in a number of positions, yet not in his favoured role of centre-back. Instead we’ve tried to make him a central midfielder and asked him to deputise at right-back.

It’s a big ask for a young player to adapt and switch roles so often. One that Amartey has tried, valiantly, to achieve, but not quite excelled in either role. Even last season when we desperately short at the back, we still didn’t try him there. Instead we moved Christian Fuchs there instead.

Unlike the Foxes, Ghana put Amartey at centre-back as a natural position. His performance there during this year’s Africa Cup of Nations earned him rave reviews and a spot in the team of the tournament. His display as Captain in that spot this weekend had people talking him up yet again. So why have we yet to see him even tested in a centre-back role?

Amartey hoping international form can turn around domestic fortunes

So far, Amartey’s Leicester career has been mostly cup appearances and coming on from the bench. It’s not ideal and likely not what we bought him for. He did get to play some part during the Champions League campaign, but more when we needed to shore up towards the end of games. Early signs were incredibly promising but as Ranieri’s reign came under pressure and ended, his time became more limited. It’s a shame as we haven’t been able to see what he might achieve and it’s easy to forget about him due to the way we do utilise him.

As if Leicester’s midfield issues weren’t bad enough, Wilfred Ndidi left the field on a stretcher during the Nigeria game. His team did secure World Cup qualification this weekend, but that’s little consolation to Leicester fans. While Ndidi has struggled a little in some games this season, our options for who could replace him is an ever diminishing choice. Amartey is one of them and recent form for Ghana will have done him no harm.

READ MORE: Give Wilfred Ndidi time to develop

For reasons unknown, we don’t think Amartey is the answer defensively. Having refused to even give him a chance there last year, we reinforced our options centrally with Aleksandar Dragovic this summer. Then again, we’ve yet to actually consider a back three too, so there’s a lot to be tested still. How much longer we can keep ignoring the feedback on his defensive duties remains to be seen. If we do make the switch to a back three, he may well fit in with Wes Morgan and Harry Maguire quite nicely.

His international future looks bright, here’s hoping his Leicester career take off too.