Ndidi 'Really Up' For The Challenge
The Nigeria midfielder penned a new three-year contract at the Club this week, a timespan which would take his City representation to a decade.
So far, Leicester’s No.25 has lifted the Sky Bet Championship title, the Emirates FA Cup and the FA Community Shield with the Foxes and he’s eager to add more memories to his collection in the East Midlands.
Braced for a return to the Premier League this coming season, the former Genk star is ready for the challenges to come and is looking forward to working under new Manager Steve Cooper.
“I feel great, I feel excited, I feel at home,” the 27-year-old said in Seagrave. “That’s the most important thing. I feel really happy to continue with the Club. My family is settled here and everyone back home, when they say Ndidi, they say Leicester also!
“It’s really amazing to be a part of this journey going forward. It was quite an easy [decision] because, as I said, my family is settled here. My daughter’s going to school, it’s easy and relaxed. I know my family is sorted and I can just focus on football.
“I’ve had a chance to speak with [Cooper]. I spoke to him during the holidays when he came in. He had some good ideas to share with me, so it was really, really, really amazing and I’m looking forward to working with him. He’s a great guy, he’s funny. I look forward to working with him, it’s very exciting.”
Experiencing more vintage moments in a Leicester City shirt is now the objective for Ndidi, who treasures his time at the Club so far.
“They’re great memories and we’re looking forward to the one’s we’re going to create going forward. This is life. Whatever comes on the way, we’re capable of adapting and going forward for everything that we hope for.
“The things we don’t hope for, we’ll also try to do our best to go forward. I feel very, very excited. I feel happy to be a part of this and then I can’t wait to get started. It’s very exciting [to be back in the Premier League]. We know this is where we belong. We’ll try our best to keep it that way. We want to be here and we want to stay here.
“It’s an exciting group with the qualities we have. The mentality, with the coaches and the staff, it’s really amazing. I know it’s not going to be an easy season, but I think with the players we have and the mentality, we’re really up for it.”
Ndidi struck six times for City last season on the way to the second-tier title. Although usually a defensive midfielder, he’s happy to play whatever role in the XI going forward.
“For me, I’m really, really open to any position on the pitch,” he explained. “I just want to play football. It’s just exciting. I just want to play football, be myself, and with the help of my team – the players, the coaches, the staff – it’s just amazing.
“When you know you love what you do, it comes naturally. Scoring goals… you know, if you score a goal, you’re always happy, but if you don’t score, you have to help the team. For me, I’m just very open to helping the team, which I think is very good for me.
“There’s unfinished business that we have to continue.”