Second-placed Leicester City are enjoying another brilliant campaign in the English Premier League, and the Foxes boss is convinced Wilfred Ndidi’s performance has been crucial to run excellent run
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has hailed Wildred Ndidi as one of the best in the world, with the Northern Ireland gaffer highlighting the many qualities that make the Nigerian midfielder unique.
Leicester City have been a dominant force in the Premier League with the Foxes defeating Arsenal (away), Manchester United (away), Chelsea (home), Tottenham (away), and Liverpool (home) convincingly.
Injuries kept Ndidi out of the clashes against the Red Devils at Old Trafford and the Gunners at Emirates, but the 24-year-old impressed and scored in the victory over the Blues, then managed by Frank Lampard.
But Ndidi’s finest defensive qualities were most evident in the 2-0 victory over Jose Mourinho’s men last December, and also last weekend’s 3-1 triumph over Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Against Spurs five days before Christmas, the Super Eagles star registered a season-high 19 ball recoveries, to help the Foxes keep a clean sheet.
The former Genk midfielder then matched the record in the recent win against Liverpool. Presently considered the engine room of the Foxes team, Ndidi’s ability to make tackles from all angles without picking up many yellow cards is remarkable.
And his club boss believes the former Genk ace has few equals in the world when it comes to tackles and ball recoveries.
“Wilf (Wilfred Ndidi) has been absolutely brilliant since I’ve been here. The balance he gives the team, he’s one of the top players in world football in terms of recovering the ball,” Rodgers said to Leicester’s official website.
“His reading of the game is so good and the quality in his football is improving all the time, so for us, he’s irreplaceable.
“We have very good players who can play in that position, but what Wilf gives the team is quite unique and for such a young player.
“He’s been fantastic and what’s really pleasing as a coach is that we see his development, his improvement. and because of his ability, he’s very coachable, he wants to learn and he will continue to improve game by game.
“He’s an absolutely fantastic player and I’m so happy he plays in my team.”
Ndidi will aim to deliver another top-quality performance when Leicester City take on Peter Olayinka’s Slavia Prague in a Europa League round of 32 first-leg clash on Thursday evening.
