I can become a better player even when I’m watching from the sidelines
NDIDI LOOKS ON POSITIVE SIDE OF BEING INJURED
WILFRED Ndidi feels “really sad” watching Leicester City from the sidelines but knows he is making improvements even when he’s injured.
Ndidi missed three straight games in January with a knee injury – the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Aston Villa and the Premier League losses to Southampton and Burnley – before a recurrence of the pain ruled him out of last Saturday’s draw with Chelsea.
City’s failure to win any of the four games without Ndidi is not a surprise, with the Nigerian a key cog in Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Watching from the stands was not an enjoyable experience for the 23-year-old, but he said the wider view of the game it affords means he is still learning even when he’s not playing.
“For me, it was sad because I was not in the squad,” Ndidi said of his initial spell out. I was really sad because it’s a very different feeling, watching from the outside instead of playing.
“Sometimes when you watch the game from the outside you see things better than when you’re playing because you’re not in the situations. But it was still sad for me.
“We lost points in some games but I still think we did well.
“The guys that came into the team played well. Sometimes it just isn’t your day.”
While on the sidelines, one of the players Ndidi got to watch was his countryman Kelechi Iheanacho.
The striker has enjoyed a revival over the past two months, scoring six goals and providing four assists in 12 games since the start of December.
Ndidi is overjoyed for his fellow Nigerian.
“I’m very happy for Kelelchi because he’s a natural goalscorer,” Ndidi said. “If you give him the opportunity like he has now, he will deliver.
“I think the manager has really helped him too. He’s done that with so many players.
“We have good discipline and understand the game better. Every player has really changed, in a good way.
“We have to set our targets and see what comes out of it at the end of the season. Not just for his season though, for our careers too.
“We know how to look after ourselves and be the best we can.”