Jannik Vestergaard responds to transfer rumours: I’ve no plans to leave Leicester
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 7 Jun 2022 05:29 CDT
- 3 min read
Leicester centre-back Jannik Vestergaard has said that he is not planning to leave the Foxes this summer, despite reports that the 2016 Premier League champions are considering a sale.
Vestergaard joined Leicester from Southampton in the summer of 2021 for a fee around €17.5 million (£16m) and played 20 matches in all competitions for Brendan Rodgers’ side, with the latest of these coming as a substitute against West Ham in February.
The 29-year-old might be struggling for minutes at club level, but he gave an important reminder of his qualities as Denmark shocked France 2-1 at Stade de France on Friday. Vestergaard’s display was widely hailed as Les Bleus suffered their first competitive home defeat in 90 minutes since 2013.
Previously, he played and scored against the Netherlands in a March friendly then featured prominently in a 3-0 win over Serbia days later.
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He explained: “I have no plans to leave Leicester this summer. My intention is definitely to play more next season, and I am sure that I will be ready for the World Cup in Qatar. I will be fully motivated when I return to pre-season with Leicester.”
Indeed, Vestergaard indicated that he feels as strong as ever, coming off a 12-month period that saw him played every game as Denmark went deep at Euro 2020, despite the collapse of Christian Eriksen during their opening game, and the centre-back change clubs.
“Obviously it is important to play matches, but the last two months without playing did not make me another player,” he said. “On the contrary, I am in a better physical shape right now and therefore I feel more comfortable on the pitch than half a year ago.
“It was tough coming directly from this unforgettable experience of the Euros, that was also exhausting both mentally and physically, to a new club without any pre-season, and I was hit by both different injuries and illness during my first months at the club.”
Hjulmand hails Vestergaard
Meanwhile, Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand retains faith in the defender.
“We have been following Vestergaard closely in Leicester and we have seen how hard he works. And every time he plays for Denmark, he always plays well. He has never disappointed me. Both on and off the pitch he is an important figure who takes responsibility and shows great leadership,” he said.
Vestergaard, meanwhile, hailed Denmark’s defensive showing against France, despite being without fellow centre-backs Simon Kjaer, the captain who is out long-term injured and Andreas Christensen.
“We are missing two very important players. Simon is very vocal and an exceptional captain for the team, and Andreas Christensen also has great quality. But we are a good team, and we work hard for each other,” he said.
“We are well aware of both out strengths and our limitations as a team. And against France we knew that we would have to defend a lot. We showed great discipline and quality defensively not giving them more opportunities to score.”
Denmark face Austria in a Nations League encounter on Monday before home fixtures against Croatia on Friday and Austria again in a week.
