Leicester City's troubled start to life in League One continued on Saturday as they were beaten 4-0 at home by Oxford United, leaving them 17th in the table with just one win from their opening five league matches. The result has intensified scrutiny on manager Russell Martin, but former striker and BBC pundit Aaron McLean believes the club must show patience.

A difficult environment to walk into

McLean, speaking in his weekly EFL takeaways column for BBC Sport, was measured in his assessment of the situation at the King Power Stadium. He acknowledged that Martin had inherited a club in a fragile state long before the current season began.

"I think that 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."

That turnover has been plain to see. The summer window brought notable departures, including Hamza Choudhury, who joined Sheffield United, while the club has simultaneously attempted to rebuild the squad with new arrivals such as Finnish centre-back Kangasniemi. Keeping a consistent spine together has been the core difficulty, and Saturday's performance suggested the group has yet to find a settled identity under Martin's methods.

Pressure unique to a club of Leicester's size

What makes Martin's task particularly demanding is the weight of expectation that comes with managing a club of Leicester's stature in the third tier. For a fanbase and boardroom accustomed to Premier League football in relatively recent memory, sitting in 17th place in League One after five games is deeply uncomfortable.

McLean did not shy away from that reality. "He's also at a club where there's huge pressure being in League One," he noted. "For a club of that magnitude it's unacceptable."

That is the paradox Martin faces: the pressure is enormous precisely because Leicester are seen as too big for this division, yet rebuilding a squad and a culture takes time that impatient observers are reluctant to grant. A 4-0 defeat at home, regardless of the opposition, will always fuel the calls for immediate answers.

The right man, but results must come

Despite the difficult run of form, McLean stopped short of calling for Martin's dismissal. His view was that the structural problems at the club pre-date the current manager, and that a change now would only reset the clock rather than solve anything.

"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," McLean said. "I think it's going to probably take a little bit longer than I'm sure he would like."

That sentiment reflects a tension familiar to supporters of clubs who have tumbled down the divisions. The instinct is to act quickly, but the evidence from similar situations across League One's history suggests that managerial instability rarely accelerates recovery. Clubs that find form tend to do so when a clear playing philosophy is embedded and players buy into it collectively.

What comes next for Leicester

With the international break arriving at an awkward moment, Martin will have time on the training pitch to work with his squad before the League One fixtures resume. The table is tight at this early stage of the season, and a couple of wins can shift a side's position considerably.

Leicester have shown they can score, as the recent first goal of the campaign for Alves demonstrated, but conceding four times at home points to defensive frailty that needs urgent attention. A run of matches that offers the chance to build momentum will be crucial if Martin is to quieten his doubters before scrutiny truly becomes unbearable.

McLean's broader point, that this is a club still carrying the weight of sustained decline rather than a simple one-season blip, is worth holding onto. Whether the board shares that patience, and whether results begin to tick upward, will define the coming weeks at the King Power.

Frequently asked

Why did Leicester lose 4-0 to Oxford United?
Oxford United were dominant throughout the match at the King Power Stadium, with Leicester struggling for cohesion after a summer of significant squad turnover. The result left them 17th in League One after five games.
Is Russell Martin going to be sacked at Leicester?
As of the BBC's report, the club had not announced any managerial change. Pundit Aaron McLean argued Martin is the right man for the job and should be given time, though results need to improve quickly given the pressure at a club of Leicester's size.
Where are Leicester City in the League One table?
After five matches of the season, Leicester sit 17th in League One, having won just one game so far.