Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has expressed hope that striker Leonardo Ulloa will back down over his threat to never play for the club again.

The 30-year-old handed in a transfer request in January but was unable to secure a move away from the Premier League champions before the close of the window as Sunderland reportedly had a number of bids turned down.

Ulloa took to social media on Monday to state that he would not play for the Foxes again, claiming that he had been "betrayed" by Ranieri after not being offered a new and improved contract last summer.

When asked whether he expected Ulloa to feature again for the club, Ranieri told Sky Sports News: "Why not? He'll play, he's a professional 100%, don't worry. He is a good teammate and [the squad] are happy. The situation is a normal situation, we didn't want to sell him.

"Of course he is frustrated because he wanted to play and go but he is a fantastic man, a good player but he is also a good professional player. Sooner or later when he is ready he will have the chance to play. I know he tried to say everything and wanted to push hard [to go] but it's OK."

Leicester are currently 16th in the Premier League table and could drop into the bottom three prior to their Sunday clash with Manchester United if results go against them on Saturday.