Leicester City sit 17th in League One after a 4-0 home defeat to Oxford United on Saturday, and pundit Aaron McLean believes the pressure building on manager Russell Martin is premature.

One win from five

The loss at the King Power Stadium left Leicester with a single win from their opening five league matches, a start that has already prompted serious questions about Martin's future. McLean, a former Peterborough United and Hull City striker who works as a pundit on BBC Final Score, urged patience.

"I think it's been difficult for Russell to come into a club that over the past couple of seasons has been on a constant decline and there's been a huge turnover of players," McLean said. "His biggest challenge is changing the environment and the mindset of the players. He's also at a club where there's huge pressure being in League One. For a club of that magnitude it's unacceptable."

McLean stopped short of calling for Martin's head, however. "I think it's going to probably take a little bit longer than I'm sure he would like. But at the same time I feel that he is the right man for the job and you just hope that he's given the time to be able to turn things around."

Enormous challenge

The scale of Leicester's rebuild after relegation from the Premier League is hard to overstate. The club have seen significant player turnover across two turbulent seasons, and the culture and mentality of the squad is something Martin has identified as central to any recovery.

A 4-0 defeat at home to Oxford, who themselves arrived at the King Power with ambitions in the third tier this season, underlines just how far the gap remains between where Leicester are and where the club expects to be.

Saturday's result means Leicester have conceded freely and their attacking play has yet to click with any consistency. Martin's preferred style demands time to embed, and with only one league win banked, that commodity is already feeling scarce.

What needs to change

McLean's assessment points to two inter-related problems: results and environment. Getting a run of form going could transform the dressing room mood quickly, but that first run of wins has to come from somewhere. The schedule will not ease up simply because Leicester are struggling to find their feet.

The supporters who fill the King Power Stadium every other week are used to watching Premier League football. Watching a 4-0 home defeat in the third tier is a hard reality to absorb. Yet the circumstances Martin inherited, a bloated, transitional squad still adjusting after years of top-flight expectation, mean there are no quick fixes available.

McLean's view, shared by several voices around the game, is that sacking Martin now would solve very little. The structural issues at the club run deeper than any single manager's influence, and replacing him would simply reset the clock rather than address the underlying problems.

The road ahead

With the international break now providing a brief pause, Martin has a window to work with his players on the training ground without the immediate pressure of a midweek fixture. How Leicester use that time could prove significant.

A run of home games in the coming weeks offers a route back into contention, but confidence is fragile right now. The table will begin to take shape in earnest from September onwards, and Leicester cannot afford too many more afternoons like Saturday's if their aim of returning to the Championship at the first attempt is to remain realistic.

For now, the club, the manager and the supporters must dig in. McLean's message is clear: give Martin the time to do the job.

Frequently asked

Why did Leicester lose 4-0 to Oxford United?
Oxford United beat Leicester 4-0 at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, with pundit Aaron McLean pointing to a difficult environment, high player turnover and a challenging cultural reset under new manager Russell Martin as key factors in Leicester's poor early-season form.
Is Russell Martin's job safe at Leicester City?
Martin is under growing pressure after one win from Leicester's first five League One matches, but Aaron McLean believes he is the right man for the job and needs more time to change the environment and mentality at the club.
Where are Leicester City in the League One table?
Following their 4-0 defeat to Oxford United, Leicester sit 17th in League One having won just one of their opening five league matches.