Leicester City midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, says the Foxes must give their fans something to cheer about in the final stretch of the season, despite the club’s confirmed relegation to the Championship.
With only four Premier League games remaining, the Nigeria international called on his teammates to finish strong and honour the support of the Leicester faithful, starting with this weekend’s clash against fellow relegated side Sheffield United at the King Power Stadium.
“It’s been a difficult season,” Ndidi said in a press briefing at Seagrave on Friday.
“Going down, it’s not the season we expected. We should have done better.
“It’s a game where we’ll try and put smiles on some faces.
“It’s been a long season, we know where we are now, and we’ll try as much as possible to play for the fans so they have something to cheer about.”
Although recent matches, including a 2-2 draw against Brighton and a narrow 1-0 loss to Liverpool, provided some optimism under manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at Wolves was a disappointing setback.
Reflecting on the team’s future, Ndidi said the current disappointment should be used as motivation.
“This is life and it’s a lesson to look forward to the next one to be better. Sometimes when you’re down, you’ve got to pick yourselves up and look forward to what’s coming next.”
Now in his eighth season at Leicester, Ndidi also paid tribute to veteran striker Jamie Vardy, who recently announced that the 2024/25 campaign would be his last at the club.
“I can be proud to say I’ve played with Jamie Vardy,” Ndidi said.
“He’s a legend. He’s been amazing for the Club. He’s a good motivation for the young lads. People love him.”
With Vardy closing in on his 200th goal for Leicester, Ndidi added: “Two hundred goals… what a guy.
“Maybe because I play in midfield, it’s a lot. He may be like ‘I should have scored more’ but 200 is a lot.
“Even more than some people’s appearances. It’s a great achievement.”