Russell Martin has acknowledged that Leicester City must prepare themselves for further departures before the summer transfer window closes, with Belgian defender Wout Faes and winger Stephy Mavididi both omitted from the squad for the club's League One opener at Notts County last Saturday.

The pair had featured in pre-season, and Mavididi started the EFL Cup victory over Northampton a week before the County game. Their absence at Meadow Lane, however, sent a fairly clear signal about where Martin expects things to land once the window shuts.

"They've been really respectful, I think we're treating them with respect," Martin told BBC Radio Leicester. "Whilst they're here, they train, they're involved. We just feel that for us, we have to be prepared to be without them."

He added that bids have already come in for both players and been turned down, but accepted that the situation remains fluid. "That's ongoing, so we'll see, but I'm not sure any will go soon," he said. The cautious phrasing is notable: he is not closing the door, merely leaving it ajar.

A club still finding its feet

What Martin is navigating is something genuinely unusual in third-tier football: a squad assembled, in part, for a level several rungs above where the club is now competing. Faes is an international defender. Mavididi was a regular in the Premier League not long ago. Keeping players of that profile interested and motivated while simultaneously planning for their exit requires a particular kind of man-management, and Martin at least sounds measured about it.

The broader squad picture is also still taking shape. Martin suggested after the Notts County draw that a couple of senior additions, players who "have been there and done it", would help his young group manage games in the closing stages. The 1-1 result, rescued for the hosts by an 81st-minute equaliser, illustrated exactly the vulnerability he was describing: Leicester were comfortable until anxiety crept in and their intensity with the ball dropped.

"If we don't look after each other with the ball like we didn't in the last 20 minutes, the game becomes like that and it doesn't suit us," Martin said, pointing to a pattern he wants to address quickly.

Young and still learning

Forward Admir Bristric came off the bench for his debut at Meadow Lane, with Martin noting that his front three at that point was "really young". There is clearly a transitional quality to this Leicester squad, which is not unusual for a club dropped into the third tier: the experienced players tend to move on, the younger ones step up, and the manager tries to stitch something coherent together before the windows close.

Martin was at pains to stress his satisfaction with the group he has. "I'm really happy with the group we have, genuinely," he said, though supporters will want to see that reflected in results rather than press-conference optimism.

For a club of Leicester's size and recent history, starting a League One campaign with a draw at Notts County while two of your higher-profile players train in a kind of purgatory is, to put it charitably, an unusual position. Martin's job, for now, is to manage the chaos calmly. On the evidence of his public comments at least, he appears to be trying to do exactly that.

Whether Faes and Mavididi are still Leicester players when the window closes in late summer remains to be seen. Martin's message is simple enough: the club is prepared either way. Whether the squad is genuinely equipped for what follows is a question the League One fixture list will answer soon enough.

Frequently asked

Why were Wout Faes and Stephy Mavididi left out of Leicester's League One opener?
Manager Russell Martin indicated that bids have been received for both players and that the club is preparing for the possibility they will leave before the transfer window closes, which is why neither was included in the matchday squad at Notts County.
Has Leicester City accepted any bids for Faes or Mavididi?
According to Martin, Leicester have turned down bids for both players. He described the situation as ongoing but said he did not expect either departure to happen immediately.
What did Russell Martin say about Leicester's performance in the Notts County draw?
Martin said there was "a lot to like" but pointed to anxiety and a drop in intensity during the final 20 minutes as the reason Leicester conceded an 81st-minute equaliser. He acknowledged the squad needs a couple of more experienced players to help manage games.