Leicester City manager highlights key role for Wilfred Ndidi as EPL opener beckons

New Leicester City boss, Steve Cooper, has hinted that Super Eagles midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi will be key in their upcoming League campaign, Soccernet.ng reports.

After his contract expired last season, the 27-year-old penned a new deal that will see him stay at the King Power Stadium until the summer of 2027.

Last Saturday, in preparation for a new season, the Foxes took on mid-table Bundesliga side, FC Augsburg, and they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Fuggerstädter, courtesy of a brilliant Keven Schlotterbeck header.

Speaking on his side’s loss, Cooper revealed they need to do better in winning their duels and getting more physical in midfield, a role Ndidi has anchored for the past seven years.

“We know what’s coming in the Premier League. It’s a massive step up. In the end, when you’re in one-v-ones, and you’re combatting, and you’re against your opponent, you’ve got to win more duels than you lose. I think that needs addressing as well. We needed a test. We want to win games in pre-season, but it’s never a disaster if you lose, as long as you take the lessons and it helps you prepare for the season’s start,” the former Nottingham Forest manager said in quotes revealed by the club’s official website.

Leicester kick-off their Premier League campaign as the final match of the opening gameweek, welcoming Ange Postecoglu’s Tottenham to the King Power Stadium. It’ll be the first time Leicester’s home ground hosts a top-flight game in over a year.