Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was a relatively unknown player when he made the £17m move from Belgian outfit Genk to Leicester City in January 2017.
The Foxes had lost a top player in N’Golo Kante to Chelsea, and Ndidi was given the arduous task of replacing the player who had just helped Leicester City win their first ever Premier League title.
Ndidi has now revealed that he was afraid of fitting into the shoe of Kante as he said: “The pressure I had was that they just won the league. Kante left and they were looking for a replacement. Seeing this whole situation, it was very scary for me.
“I was comfortable at Genk but it was like an opportunity for me to actually develop in my career. “It was the right time for me to go because Genk wanted me to progress in my career.
“It was difficult at that time because I had to leave for another country and start afresh.
“Even during training, everyone wanted to see what I can do because the person who just left actually made a mark. So, the pressure was just there.”
Ndidi is now being rated as one of the best midfielders in the league and is being eyed by many top clubs. He added: “I encouraged myself to be myself and not trying to fill anybody’s shoes.
“All I wanted to do was make a mark for myself which is so possible; and after playing the first two games, I got comfortable.”