Leicester boss Claude Puel would not be drawn on whether Andy King and Danny Simpson have a future at the club.
The out-of-favour pair, both of whom helped Leicester win the Premier League title during the 2015/16 season, have yet to feature in a first-team squad this campaign, while King was not even registered in the 25-man list for the Premier League.
King and Simpson each played 90 minutes for the development squad on Monday as Puel opted not to include either player for the Carabao Cup tie at Wolves where he made eight changes to his team.
Asked about Simpson and King, Puel said: “I have discussed with them the difficulty they have to find game time with us.
“We have a lot of competition for places in the squad, in the team, and of course we can not give all the game time we want to the players.
“We made eight changes against Wolves, for example, and it shows we have a lot of players and a lot of competition in the squad.
“I have a lot of respect for Danny and Andy but I needed to make sure I take my responsibilities, and respect them also.”
Puel has been criticised for selecting the injured Matty James ahead of King as one of his midfield picks for his Premier League squad.
James was recovering from an Achilles operation at the end of last season and has since suffered a setback which has required him to undergo further surgery.
Puel said: “At the beginning of the season we didn’t have all the information to decide other things. I tried to take the best solution possible. No regrets about this.”
Leicester play Simpson’s former club Newcastle on Saturday and they will travel to the north east without James and Demarai Gray, with the winger set for up to six weeks out through injury. Gray (ankle) was carried off on a stretcher during the Carabao Cup win at Wolves.
Kasper Schmeichel and Harry Maguire were rested at Molineux and will return to the starting line-up, while captain Wes Morgan is available again in the Premier League after serving his one-match suspension against Huddersfield.
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