Enzo Maresca: Leicester City boss tells players to be patient

Under Enzo Maresca, Leicester City have won their first three games of a season for the first time in 101 years

Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca has told his players patience will be key to their hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League.

The Foxes again left it late as they edged Huddersfield on Saturday to make it two Championship wins from two.

The Terriers’ man-marking stifled the Foxes’ threat for long spells before Stephy Mavididi’s winner.

“We did not get frustrated, we continue to play and at the end we found a goal,” he told BBC Radio Leicester.

“They were defending with six, but I just said to the players, that for us, one of the main points this season is to learn to be patient because it will be (like this for) most of the games in our league and we need that.”

The Foxes manager said nothing should be read into his decision to name two goalkeepers among his nine substitutes on Saturday’s win, while omitting several former first team players from the squad.

Defenders Victor Kristiansen, Timothy Castagne and Harry Souttar, midfielder Boubakary Soumare, and forward Patson Daka all missed the trip, fuelling speculation they may be linked with moves away.

“Most of them it’s a technical decision, and for some of them it’s also because in this moment I decided that it was probably better for them don’t join the team for this game,” Maresca said.

“It doesn’t mean for the next game they are not going to be with us.”

‘The best feeling in the world’Stephy Mavididi scored 21 times in three seasons at Montpellier following a £5.5m move from Juventus

After also beating Burton in the EFL Cup, Saturday’s result meant Leicester had won their opening three games of a season for the first time since 1922.

And for Mavididi, it was a first goal since his summer move from French side Montpellier and his first in English football since January 2018 during a loan spell with Charlton.

He was sold by Arsenal to Juventus the following summer.

“It was the best feeling in the world to score and also to get my first for the club,” he told BBC Radio Leicester.

The 25-year-old English forward believes former Manchester City coach Maresca will help him improve.

“I’ve been here two weeks and I’ve learned so much already,” he added.

“He’s an intensive manager and he’s a lot into details which is important, obviously, to play at the highest level.”