The coach of English Championship side Leicester City Enzo Maresca says he isn’t surprised with the performance of Nigeria international midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, who have been moved to a role higher up the pitch, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Ndidi has responded to the responsibility without much problem picking up five assists and two goals for the high flying side, who are looking really good for an instant promotion back to the English Premier League after relegation last season.
Unlike a lot of people who are surprised by the performance of the Nigerian in an advanced role as opposed to his more defensive responsibility in the past years at the club, Maresca says he knew from the get go that the 27 year old won’t struggle in that role.
“He improves a lot,” the manager said. ‘From Wilf, in terms of physicality, you expect everything. He’s fantastic. In terms of quality, probably you don’t expect from him. But I’m not telling you that, because since day one, I could see something there.
“Against West Bromwich, he gave a fantastic pass for Kiernan. He’s been doing fantastic movements. He’s scoring goals. He’s creating chances for his team-mates. He’s working very good.
“I’m happy because when you see the player making the effort to understand how they have to play, it’s good. When I see Wilf giving passes or scoring goals, I’m happy because he deserves it.”
Responding Ndidi who admitted that he initially struggled to get used to the role says he is now very comfortable in what is the modern day number 10 role.
“It’s actually giving me a great advantage to get in the box, getting chances and creating chances,” Ndidi said. “I was not used to it, but I am now.
“I feel very pleased. It’s just me trying to do the simple things and then gradually the confidence comes. We work in training every day, understanding the system. With the team, everybody knows what they have to do, which is very important to the system. We just need to keep going.”
Ade Emmanuel
