Bren gets ’em buzzing

BRENDAN RODGERS says Leicester’s players have shown their hunger by reaching the club’s first semi-final for 19 years.

The former Liverpool and Celtic boss has transformed the side from mid-table mediocrity last season to title challengers in his 10 months in charge.

And after leading the club to their first semi-final since they lifted the League Cup in 2000, following a shoot-out victory at Everton, he paid tribute to his players.

“It’s mentality,” said Rodgers. “You want to go as deep as you can in as many competitions as you can.

“These players have been absolutely brilliant since the day I came in, they have a hunger to succeed.

“We try to make sure we focus on each game and to come away here, and win a quarter-final, especially with the way Everton have been playing, was a great achievement by us.

“I think it’s just step by step. This is a team that is coming from 12th when we came in and it is progressing and developing.” Rodgers’ progress is remarkable, especially after losing England centre-half Harry Maguire in the summer to Manchester United, and Leicester are on an 11-game unbeaten run.

They will be favourites in next month’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Aston Villa but Rodgers says they must keep striving.

“Everyone wants to win trophies, of course, but we have to fight,” he said.

“We are not entitled to win, we just have to fight and work hard at our game.

“If we do that, great, but as long as we can make progress and develop, that will be great.

“But we’ll see. We have two tough games against Aston Villa.

“If we can play as well as we have done this season, that gives us a chance of getting to the final.

“There are other teams with budgets much bigger than ours, but we will always have a chance.

“As long as we have the belief and continue to develop, we will have a really good chance to win games and succeed.”