'I now understand simple things'- Ndidi applauds Rodgers' impact at Leicester City

Wilfred Ndidi has praised the philosophy of Brendan Rodgers and said the manager has had an instant impact on his career at Leicester City.

The Nigeria international joined the Premier League team in 2017 during the reign of Claudio Ranieri who led the Foxes to the English top-flight triumph.

However, the Italian was shown the exit door amid poor result with Craig Shakespeare named as the new boss.

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A run of one win in eight Premier League matches this season saw Leicester fire the Englishman with just eight months in charge, as Rodgers was named as permanent manager on February 26, 2019 after Michael Appleton, Claude Puel, Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler's failed spells.

Under the ex- Liverpool manager, Ndidi has flourished and has played more games in all competitions - a career-best - before injuries and the suspension of the Premier League due to the coronavirus pandemic curtailed his growth.

In a professional career that has spanned just five years under nine different tacticians, the Super Eagles midfielder revealed playing under the Foxes' current handler has improved his quality.

"Playing under [Brendan] Rodgers has changed my game so much after from the fact that I moved from an attacking team to a possession team," Ndidi told Out of Home Podcast.

"When he [Rodgers] came, he was trying to make us understand that he will always be there for us. He makes time to meet the players individually and tries to make us understand that there is space in the sky for us to improve.

"Since he came, I won't lie to you I have improved as a player because I now understand simple things I never knew.

"No disrespect to other mangers, Brendan took his time to explain things like understanding space, understanding the game, where you can actually be and how you can actually improve on yourself and your quality."

When asked to compare Rodgers' style of management to others, the 23-year-old responded: "When I first came to Leicester, it was business. That is still there but you need to enjoy and feel it also.

"My training style and that of so many players have improved. He made us understand that whatever we did during training is what we'll do during games - there is no magic. You can't be lazy in training and expect to be a superman during games.

"It all begins from the first whistle during warm-ups. During our training, you just have to be there. It's not an academy where everybody will come and pamper you.

"One thing he has done also is encouraging the whole team and letting us know that there is no one who is irreplaceable. That is just his philosophy."

Before football in England went on a hiatus owing to the Covid-19 outbreak, Leicester sit in third place in the Premier League log having accrued 53 points from 29 games - five points above fourth-placed Chelsea.

Should the league resume in June as proposed, and the club finishes in the top four, they will be featuring in the Champions League next season.