Mavididi on fire as Foxes put nightmare run behind them

AS a young buck released from Arsenal’s academy as a teenager, Stephy Mavididi received a message from Gunners legend Thierry Henry with instructions on how to achieve his dream of being a Premier League footballer. ‘Be brave, believe in yourself,’ it read.

It has been a long road back to the top for Mavididi, now 25, via loans in the Football League and training alongside Cristiano Ronaldo when at Juventus’ Under 23 side. But he was recommended to French club Dijon by Henry and the Derby-born forward has not looked back since.

He is now an integral member of Enzo Maresca’s Leicester side having joined from Montpellier and could soon complete his Premier League ambitions. A goal and assist here helped the Foxes to stop the rot of a nightmare month that saw them win just once in six games. Mavididi is starring in this new-look Leicester team who had, until recently, taken this league by storm. He scored alongside the ever-improving Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. But there is still room for the old guard, as seen by substitute Jamie

Vardy making sure of a much-needed three points in stoppage time. Leicester were 14 points clear of third in the Championship on Valentine’s Day but started Easter Monday outside the automatic promotion places. Reports of their demise, though, seem to have been somewhat exaggerated.

‘I’m very happy, first because it was important to win,’ said Maresca. ‘Second, for different reasons in the last six or seven games, we haven’t won many. They showed they were mentally strong because they went 1-0 down and that is not easy. The reaction was fantastic.’ The King Power Stadium was rocking before kick-off but any positivity was soon turned into anxiety when Norwich capitalised on statuesque defending to take an early lead, Marcelino Nunez firing in a low set-piece and Gabriel Sara ghosting past defenders to score. Leicester were level 14 minutes after going behind as Wilfred Ndidi’s cross picked out Mavididi at the back post and he cushioned a header for Dewsbury-Hall to nod home from close range. Mavididi then took centre stage as he skipped past defender Jack Stacey and fired into the far corner to put Leicester ahead on 61 minutes.

Vardy came off the bench to make sure of the points when he thumped home a third Foxes goal in stoppage time.