Ndidi proving his new worth for Leicester
- Published
Wilfred Ndidi's preparations to face Southampton on Saturday have hardly been ideal.
Along with the rest of the Nigeria squad, he was left stranded at an airport overnight before Tuesday's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya.
Ndidi, along with former Foxes team-mate Kelechi Iheanacho, spent over 15 hours in Al Abraq before eventually flying back to Nigeria on Monday evening, with the game being called off.
That Ndidi returns fully fit for the Foxes is of paramount importance for boss Steve Cooper given his influence this season.
The 27-year-old is much improved after struggling during Leicester's meek relegation in 2022-23, with Cooper perhaps benefiting from the additional skillset Ndidi learned under Enzo Maresca last season.
It means he has been deployed further forward, as well as his traditional deeper midfield role, and offers presence at both ends. Indeed, only Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer have more assists than Ndidi's four this season, while he leads the tackling statistics with 28.
Leicester as a team are second with 146, 10 behind Manchester United.
Ndidi's new contract in the summer, tying him to the club until 2027, perhaps came as a surprise given the links away, but he has already underlined why Leicester were so determined to keep him.
