Jadel will start his first Peterborough United game for two months, but in what position?
Jadel Katongo will make his first Peterborough United start since September 28 in Saturday’s FA Cup second round tie against Notts County at the Weston Homes Stadium.
The on-loan Manchester City defender injured a hamstring in the 3-2 League One defeat at Birmingham City two months ago, but manager Darren Ferguson confirmed to the PT he is a definite starter against County.
But Ferguson refused to say in what position the 20 year-old will be deployed. His parent club see Katongo as a central defender, but he was used as a right-back at St Andrews and during his time on loan at Posh last season.
Ferguson insists he will not rest any players from the FA Cup tie. He sees the game against a top League Two side as ‘very important.’
"It is a very important game,” Ferguson said. “We all want to get into that third round draw. If I make changes it won’t be because I am resting players. I will send out what I see as my strongest team.
"Jadel has trained well. He looks strong, fresh and fit. He will start on Saturday, but you will have to wait and see in what position.
"The beauty of having him here is not just because he is a very good player, but he is a very good player in a few different positions. He has played well in midfield for us before, as well as at centre-back or right-back.
"I’m looking forward to the game as Notts County are a very entertaining side. They look to dominate the ball. They are always very positive in their approach and they are capable of causing us problems if we don’t play well.
"But the simple fact of the matter is we will start as favourites so it’s important we play like it.
"We need to be aggressive and we need to be on the front foot from the start. There was a lot to admire about how we played last weekend, but we need to finish the chances we create.”
Ferguson insists club captain Hector Kyprianou remains on course to be involved in the League One local derby at Northampton Town on December 9.
The draw for the third round of the FA Cup is expected to take place on Sunday after the final batch of second round games.
The third round matches take place on the weekend of January 11/12 when Posh are due to play Exeter City at home in League One.