Wilfred Ndidi excelled in his defensive role although Leicester City lost 1-0 to Manchester United in Thursday’s Premier League outing.
Due to a late knock to Ghana international Daniel Amartey, the Nigeria midfielder was drafted into the Foxes’ backline alongside James Justin, Jonny Evans, and Luke Thomas.
Despite the impromptu change, Ndidi excelled in his make-shift role to prevent the Red Devils from wreaking more havoc – after they took an early lead courtesy of Jadon Sancho.
Even at the introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo, the African did not quiver as he posted an eye-catching performance at the King Power Stadium.
Statistics proved that Ndidi’s compact defensive contributions played a key role in ensuring Brendan Rodgers’ men did not leak more than a goal.
The 25-year-old – who was in action from start to finish against Erik ten Hag’s men – accounted for two tackles, two interceptions, and five clearances.
Interestingly, he didn't commit a single foul and was not cautioned by referee Craig Pawson.
Although he did not record any shots on goal, Ndidi won one aerial battle, contributed 105 touches, 91 passes and a passing accuracy of 90.1 per cent.
Prior to the game, the Super Eagle said that the club’s impressive record against United would count for little if Leicester do not produce a positive performance at home.
“We have to look forward to it,” he told Leicester City’s website.
“We have to get something out of it and we have to believe in ourselves. Every game is not easy in the Premier League.
“I am expecting a very, very difficult game because they’ve got the confidence now. The first win would be a massive win because we’re hungry for it.
“That would give us more confidence going forward. We know what we have to do though and if we could that would be very good for us.”
While he was in action from start to finish, his compatriot Kelechi Iheanacho was introduced for Youri Tielemans in the 76th minute, while Zambia’s Patson Daka replaced Jamie Vardy with four minutes left on the clock.
Following this loss, Leicester City remain at the base of the log with one point from five matches played so far in the 2022-23 campaign. They are next in action against Brighton and Hove Albion on the road on Sunday.
