“Irreplaceable” Ndidi is one of the best in the world, says Rodgers

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has hailed Nigeria international midfielder Wilfred Ndidi as a fantastic player and one of the best in the world.

Ndidi made 19 ball recoveries for Leicester against Liverpool in the 3-1 win, an attribute Rodgers praised in Ndidi and said he’s one of the best players in the world in.

“Wilf has been absolutely brilliant since I’ve been here, he gives the team the balance,” Rodgers told OJB Sports during the press conference ahead of Leicester’s Europa League game against Slavia Prague.

“He’s one of the best footballers in the world in regards to recovering the ball, his reading of the game is top class. He has the quality and his football is improving all the time. For us, he is irreplaceable.”

Rodgers primarily plays a 4-1-4-1 formation and deploys Ndidi as the one man midfielder at the base of the midfield to shield the defence, a role he has excelled in excellently.

“We have very good players that 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 he’s still because of his ability very coachable, he wants to learn.

“He will continue to improve and get better with the more experiences he has, an absolutely fantastic player and I’m so happy he plays in my team.”

Ndidi started the season as a centre back due to injuries to the team’s centre halves and put up impressive performances. He was injured over the festive period and his return boosted Leicester City’s season.