Nev Foulger's Leicester City view: Matty Fryatt so vital for success

It seems highly unlikely that Leicester City would even contemplate selling Matty Fryatt when the transfer window opens again in four days' time.

But, should any Premier League predators come calling, you can be sure the asking price will have risen considerably after Fryatt's outstanding contribution to City's 2-1 Boxing Day victory against Sheffield United.

In front of a 23,999 crowd at the Walkers Stadium and a nationwide television audience, the striker showed why he remains vital to City's chances of achieving back-to-back promotions.

Over the last couple of years or so, Fryatt seems to have spent a lot of time having to justify himself to his critics. It all stems from one poor season, when he scored only three goals in 35 appearances as City dropped into League One.

Although he then fired them to instant promotion with 27 goals in 46 league matches, some still questioned whether he could cut it at a higher level. Well, another 12 goals so far this season – 11 of them in the league – suggest that the answer is an unequivocal yes.

But Fryatt's game is not just about scoring goals. He is not one of those strikers who simply hangs around waiting for chances to come his way and contributes little else, as he proved against the Blades.

His work-rate was phenomenal, his movement off the ball exceptional and his partnership with Steve Howard almost telepathic. Fryatt was Sky TV's man of the match, and he was certainly mine.

He has now scored a total of 57 goals in 164 appearances for City – and he is still only 23 years old. I suspect it would take an astronomical offer for City to even think about letting him go.

Even then they might well say no, with the prospect of a return to the Premier League now becoming something rather more tangible than a distant dream.

Sheffield United were among the favourites for promotion at the start of the season, and are still in the mix. But City have taken four points off them, having earned a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane in August.

That was a terrific game and this Boxing Day clash was every bit as good. It was fiercely competitive throughout with both sides enjoying periods of ascendancy. City's best spell was in the first half, when they recovered from a shaky start to take control and snatch a two-goal lead.

Michael Morrison scored his first goal of the season with a far-post header from a corner, and Fryatt netted from the spot after being tripped at the end of a mazy run.

An injury to Jack Hobbs forced City into defensive changes for the second half but Ryan McGivern, substitute Luke O'Neill and Morrison coped well as the Blades piled on the pressure after a goal from Henri Camara threw them a lifeline.

The resilience shown by such an inexperienced back line will have pleased manager Nigel Pearson enormously and was further proof of the depth of City's squad.

With neither Wayne Brown nor Bruno Berner fit enough to play, Pearson's resources looked stretched. Then, the injury to Hobbs added to the problems.

But City came through in style and the Blue Army could not have asked for better Boxing Day fare than this.