Forgotten man's failed summer transfer pays off for Leicester City six months later

Papy Mendy was the forgotten man at the start of the season. He could finish the campaign as one of Leicester City’s most important players.

Despite barely putting a foot wrong last term – when he played so well in Wilfred Ndidi’s absence that the usually devastating impact of not having the Nigerian was lessened significantly – Mendy found himself outside of the Premier League squad. Boubakary Soumare had been signed for a cool £17m, which had knocked Mendy down the pecking order, while Filip Benkovic was called upon because of the crisis at centre-back.

Mendy tried to get a move away but a switch to Galatasaray fell through at the end of the summer window. That it did break down has proven significant for City six months on. Ndidi now faces time on the sidelines, and with the lack of speed in Soumare’s game seeing Brendan Rodgers look to other options, Mendy is back in the frame. And in his first home start of the season, he showed exactly what he offers.

Where Mendy comfortably surpasses Ndidi is in the way he makes himself an option for the centre-backs. There have been so many times this season where Daniel Amartey and Caglar Soyuncu have been dumbfounded by their lack of options, resorting to playing keep-ball with each other, much to the frustration of the crowd.

Mendy always wants it, and knows how to find space to receive it. When he’s got the ball, he plays it simple. Nothing he does looks difficult, but that’s because he’s so good at it. And if the simple ball makes progress up the pitch, it doesn’t matter how easy it is to complete.

Mendy does this very well, and without any pressure put on him, he was even able to be more adventurous, carrying the ball through the middle of the pitch. And he can play