The departure of goalkepper Kasper Schmeichel from Leicester City to French Ligue 1 side Nice has forced coach of the the club Brendan Rodgers into reshuffling the leadership group at the club.
Schmeichel’s role as captain was handed to Johnny Evans with long serving winger Marc Albrighton named as his vice captain. One of the longest serving players at the club as he has been there since joining in 2014 on a free transfer from Aston Villa.
They were a number of candidates for the role, with Jamie Vardy, Youri Tielemans, and Ricardo Pereira all having captained the side before, and with James Maddison and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall recently praised for their leadership abilities.
Prior to the decision to name him as vice captain, they were talks about the fact that he is no longer a regular hence Nigeria international Wilfred Nididi who has been a regular since 2016 should be considered. Rodgers however defended his decision.
“The squad have got two fantastic professionals that set a standard every day in Jonny and Marc. Their experiences and the level of how they commit themselves every day to their work, they’ll provide a great inspiration and a real source of comfort for the other players, who know they are there to look after them and support them.”
“Marc, whenever he’s asked to contribute and play, he always gives absolutely everything to the cause. He still fights and shows every day in training that he wants to play. I can’t speak highly enough of him.
“He’s a great guy who’s got the total respect of his team-mates and the total respect of all the coaches. Whether he starts or whether he’s on the bench, his contributions are always invaluable here.”
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