Ruud van Nistelrooy has axed Harry Winks from his Leicester City squad after the midfielder refused to compromise on his 100-mile commute.
Van Nistelrooy was involved in a confrontation with Winks over the international break after he declined a request to stay overnight one day a week at Leicester’s training ground.
It is understood that the former England international is one of three senior players to travel more than 90 miles a day to the Seagrave complex in north Leicestershire.
With Van Nistelrooy battling to instil discipline at the Premier League strugglers, his plea for Winks to stay overnight at the training ground fell flat.
Winks, a £10 million signing from Tottenham Hotspur in July 2023, is understood to have his own private reasons for commuting every day to training.
Enzo Maresca, the former Leicester manager, also allowed the midfielder to travel from his Hertfordshire base without any issues.
Yet Van Nistelrooy reacted angrily to what he perceived as indiscipline and excluded Winks from his squad for Wednesday night’s match at Manchester City. Leicester’s manager was keen for Winks to stay overnight to aid preparation, with the squad training in the afternoon before a session the following morning.
It is uncertain whether the 29-year-old will be available for Monday night’s game against Newcastle, but sources have suggested the row with Van Nistelrooy was heated.
Leicester’s £100 million training ground is renowned as one of the best in the country, with outstanding facilities, a nine-hole golf course and hotel accommodation.
This latest development will raise further scrutiny on Leicester’s squad after it emerged defender Jannik Vestergaard recently brought his dog to the training ground.
Telegraph Sport revealed that the Denmark international was given permission to bring in his pet on this one occasion because his family in London were away and there was no one to care for it.
Vestergaard has not appeared in any of the Leicester squads since the 2-0 defeat at West Ham United on February 27.
Van Nistelrooy is coming under increasing pressure after suffering 14 defeats in the last 15 league matches.
The 2-0 defeat at Manchester City leaves Leicester second-bottom and 12 points adrift of safety with a poor goal difference.
Before the row with Winks emerged, Van Nistelrooy had spoken of his determination to set high standards at the club.
He said: “One of the first things I looked at when I arrived was to see how things are done here, and then apply my standards in this environment. In general, I’ve tried to increase the standards over the past three months. You have to take full advantage of these facilities. That is where the standards come in.
“It’s a perfect place to increase the standards as high as I feel is possible to run a club that wants to be in the Premier League. People have to get used to it. In the short term, you won’t see the effects of it, but in the long term it will pay off.”
