Rodgers: Kasper is best No.1

LEICESTER boss Brendan Rodgers says he would not swap Kasper Schmeichel for any other goalkeeper in the country.

England No.1 Jordan Pickford and Everton visit the King Power tonight, but the Foxes boss reckons his man (above, with Rodgers) is right up there with the best.

Leicester could be sitting on top of the table, if results go their way, and that is in no small part down to their big Denmark stopper.

Rodgers said: “He’s vital to us. You wouldn’t swap him for any other goalkeeper in the country.

“Just watching him on a day-to-day basis, I see his hunger to succeed. He’s up for every single game he plays, no matter what.

“The thing about Kasper is he makes big saves, he makes a big contribution. We’ve got Jamie Vardy down at the other end with his goals, but Kasper is equally important.

“He’s been sensational since I came in. He has wonderful energy and is a fantastic goalkeeper.”

Schmeichel was one of the mainstays in the Leicester side that pulled off the greatest Premier League title story of all time – the 2016 fairytale.

And, while Rodgers is reluctant to get involved in title talk, he acknowledges this year’s race could be as close as it is right now.

He adds: “It’s tight up there and it could remain that way. I’d think it will be tighter than it’s been over the past couple of seasons.

“There’s still such a long way to go, but it’s nice to be up there. It’s not just us, but teams like Southampton and West Ham who are putting in a challenge.

“This club showed that everything is possible in winning it – that was one of the great stories in any sporting code.

“I know one thing – bookies won’t make the mistake of making teams 5,000-1 again. From that season on, the odds have been cut dramatically.”