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Wilfred Ndidi shone against Newcastle to keep Leicester's PL hopes alive, potentially putting himself in the shop window should the Foxes go down.
Going into Monday’s trip to St James’ Park, Leicester boss Dean Smith spoke of the importance of graft, and picked his team accordingly: no Harvey Barnes, no James Maddison from the start. These are perilous times for his side, circling the Premier League drain as they are, but the goalless draw with Newcastle – which saw the Foxes bend to the utmost without breaking – means they go into the final fixture of the campaign with a mathematical chance of staying up still.
It was an ugly, gritty sort of display, the perfect riposte to the quaint idea that Leicester’s perilous situation is a result of the squad’s diffidence. It is never that simple and, in any case, there was no shortage of application on the night. On that front, even though a number of players stood out, none did to the same degree as Wilfred Ndidi, who was making only his 19th start of the season.
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While it would be a stretch to chalk all of Leicester’s troubles up to the unavailability of the Nigeria international, there is some correlation between the club’s fortunes and Ndidi’s availability. Since being substituted at half-time against Nottingham Forest at the start of November, the 26-year-old has only started 12 times in the league.
Put it another way: despite going away to the Africa Cup of Nations and missing the last eight weeks of the campaign last season, even if you take out both European competitions Leicester participated in, Ndidi played more minutes in 2021/22 (1,979’) than he has or possibly could in this (1,945’ maximum).
Wilfred Ndidi: Back to his best?
It really paints a picture, one of damage accretion due to mismanagement and an ungodly amount of toil. It was once the case that Ndidi’s ball winning numbers ranked high across Europe, never mind the Premier League. Yet at times this season, even when uninjured, he has looked a shell of himself, suddenly permeable in ways that he previously was not.
Which is what made Monday’s showing fascinating. It seemed, for 89 minutes, that the old Ndidi had been roused from a sarcophagus to be a scourge on the Toon, his voracity for the loose ball and his disruptive powers in effect once again. And when he could not as one man keep the Newcastle horde in check, he defied them still, clearing from off the line to keep the Foxes’ honour – and their Premier League status – intact.
Then, it happened: a hamstring injury that looks set to rule him out for the final day. It was going so well; something had to go wrong. Having worked so hard to give Leicester a lifeline, Ndidi may now play no part in the denouement.
As a potential final act in the Premier League, it was uncannily representative of his time in English football. The paradox, however, is the fact that, taken as a whole, it could be used to make opposing cases, both in favour of and against the idea of a club with great aspirations signing Ndidi on, especially in the event of Leicester’s relegation.
Ndidi summer transfer: The case for and against
It really would depend on the temperament of the potential buyer. A club of an optimistic bent could look at his time on the pitch as proof that he is still that power of old, capable of moving earth and timber, and reckon that a change of environment, coupled with a proper preseason, could be the ticket for his full rejuvenation. From a playing style point of view, clubs like Fulham and Brentford, who both finished in the top half, would get good use out of his profile.
One of a pessimistic outlook would be concerned that his body now seems incapable of holding up under all that activity, the hallmark of an athlete in physical decline. This is particularly important because whereas some are able to parlay their loss of athleticism into a more sedate role and rely on their use of the ball, Ndidi has never betrayed the skill set for such a transition.
In the most generalist band on the pitch, the Nigeria international is a specialist, excelling (at his best) at one specific aspect of midfield play. If he can no longer fulfil even that function without his body registering protest, that would make him a lot less attractive as a proposition.
This makes Ndidi’s next destination one of the more intriguing storylines of the upcoming summer, not just for what could happen, but for what it might reveal about not just his present, but his future.
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22:04 - 22.05.2023
Newcastle United vs Leicester City: Ndidi injured again as Foxes pick valuable point
Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi played his best game for Leicester City this season against Newcastle United, but it came at a big cost for him and the Foxes.
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