GENIE OF THE LAMP
Lamptey is congratulated by Rodgers back in June
Rodgers is preparing his Leicester side to face the Seagulls and their wing-back again today when they visit the King Power.
It was back in June a little- known 19-year-old Lamptey started for Brighton at Leicester having not even made an Albion match-day squad prior to the coronavirus shutdown.
But his man-of-the-match display on his full Premier League debut as an attacking right-back in the draw at Leicester grabbed everyone’s attention.
Lamptey, who turned 20 in September, has since gone on to establish himself in Albion’s side as a regular.
He has also made his England Under-21 debut to further vindicate his decision to quit Chelsea in January in a £3million deal having never started a game for Blues.
Rodgers, who used to run Chelsea’s reserve side and also worked in their academy, says Lamptey is a role model for other Blues youngsters who can see no path to the club’s first team.
“He has done really well,” said Rodgers, who worked at the Bridge from 2004-2008. “Brighton obviously paid a bit of money to get him from Chelsea.
“They recognised he was a good player. I hadn’t seen a great deal of him before the game.
But the first thing that stood out for me was his personality.
“He played with no fear. ar.
He came into the game, e he ran, he tackled, he passed. He’s done very well. I’m delighted for him.
“Chelsea have always produced many young players and unfortunately a lot of them may not be able to break into the first team.
“But it is a great example where maybe if he didn’t quite make it there, he has come away and taken his chance and gone to Brighton.”
Leicester are back in Premier League action after reaching the knockout stages of the Europa League by topping Group G.
A 2-0 home win over Greek side AEK Athens on Thursday night also means Rodgers men have now kept clean sheets in four of their last five home games in all competitions.
And the Northern Irishman highlighted the determination of title winner and skipper Kasper Schmeichel (above), 34, as a vital factor.
“He’s a very important player,” said Rodgers, who took charge at Leicester in February 2019.
“He is one of the top goalkeepers in this league. His technical goalkeeping is superb and the agility he has.
“He has got incredible motivation to succeed, Kasper. In my time here, he’s been absolutely brilliant.
“Kasper is very focused, trains hard, has a great voice and is such an inspiration for young players.
“He never lets them rest, he’s always on to them about the standards we want, our values and how we work.
“He’s a senior player that has been absolutely superb for me in my time here, and of course before that.”