James Maddison is the unique talent at the heart of the Leicester City squad and the man Brendan Rodgers wants to play through.
That’s the verdict of City icon Andy King, who believes Maddison is the one player in the team who does not have a team-mate who can fill his shoes.
Maddison started slowly this season after hip surgery in the summer, but is now approaching his best form again. His tally of five goals and four assists in all competitions so far puts him on course for his best season yet.
King believes the number 10 is the key man.
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“He’s a massive player for the team and they would have been desperate to get him back, as they will be with Soyuncu and Ricardo,” King told the BBC.
“Maddison in that number 10 position, they haven’t got another player like him, he’s not a like-for-like who they can swap in and out with somebody else.
“They’ve changed shape at times this season, not only to counteract the opposition, but also try to find a solution when he’s been out.
“Now he’s back, they’ve put Harvey Barnes and Cengiz Under on the bench at times, which shows how much Brendan Rodgers does want to play through James Maddison.”
Despite leaving the club in the summer after 15 years, King still trains with his former team-mates as he keeps himself fit in his bid to find a new club.
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Now, he says he’s a fan like everyone else, and is particularly pleased there are academy products like Barnes, Hamza Choudhury and Luke Thomas following in his shoes by coming through the ranks into the first team.
“I still train with them, so I can see the ins and outs of what they’re doing,” said King. “I know my time there is up. It’s time for new players, it’s time for the young players to come through. I don’t want to be the guy trying to cling on, I’m just training there to try to stay fit for my next challenge and the club have been brilliant in allowing me to do that.
“I’m watching just like every other fan now and it’s a pleasure being able to see them train close up, how the manager works, and then seeing them execute that on matchday.
“There’s a lot of young players at Leicester now and their attitude is spot on. It’s a good mix of everything, they’ve got good experience, have recruited really well, and are also bringing through their own academy players who have been brought up with the club’s identity.
“I think that means a lot for people when you’ve got players who know what it means to play for the club.”
