Former England full back Andy Hinchcliffe has praised Leicester City’s start to the season and has backed the Foxes to at least qualify for the Championship play-offs.
The pundit, who played for Manchester City, Everton and Sheffield Wednesday, identified City’s determination and commitment which saw them beat two teams promoted from League One.
While two superb goals from Abdul Fatwau saw City beat Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City, what stood out most was the mindset and organisation Marti Cifuentes has introduced into his team.
Hinchcliffe says that will stand them in good stead this season – even with battles both on the field field and off it, to come.
The 56-year-old told Sky Sports: “The wins that they had against Charlton and Birmingham, you are probably going to need a lot of those during the course of a Championship season to be successful.
“So I think the signs, even with the shifting sands at Leicester, we didn’t know who was going to be there, who wasn’t going to be there. The players themselves probably weren’t even sure.
“Yet they still managed to put in really resilient, gritty performances, against team that arguably outplayed them yet they still managed to find a way to win.
“So I think Marti will think ‘You know what, there’s a bit of desire and hunger and resilience in this team, now I know the squad I’ve got to work with moving forward...' – and there’s still a lot of talent, young talent especially in that Leicester team.
“Expectation is going to be piled up against them as well, regardless of what’s happened. You are Leicester, you have just come down, you do have a good squad, you should be challenging for the top six.
“And I think they will be challenging for the top six but getting a good start as well just gives a bit of breathing space for them going into the international break.
"Imagine they hadn’t won a game and they are down in the bottom six, everybody would be saying ‘Is Marti the right man? Should he be staying there?’ All that has gone because of the start they have made.”
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