National media react to Leicester City season before summer of 'major surgery'

Leicester City have widely been praised in the national media after securing eighth place in the Premier League table by beating Southampton 4-1 on the final day of the season.

Despite finishing four points shy of a return to the Europa Conference League next season and therefore not qualifying for European competition for the first time since the 2018/19 campaign, the testing campaign endured by manager Brendan Rodgers ' side has been rightly acknowledged. Injuries have hamstrung City 's defence for almost the entire season, and Jamie Vardy only featured in 25 league matches because of various ailments.

The Foxes have now finished in the top-half of the top-flight for five straight seasons, and six out of seven if you go as far back as the 2015/16 Premier League title-winning campaign. Here is a selection of the national media reaction to the Southampton success and the season as a whole.

At the end of a week which Jamie Vardy spent in the surrounds of the Royal courts of justice supporting his wife in the “Wagatha Christie” libel trial, the Leicester striker returned to the day job, proudly pointing to his name on his shirt after scoring the second goal in a comfortable victory against Southampton.

Vardy clinically finished inside the box and instantly made a beeline for the away supporters, who had earlier taken great pleasure in singing “ Rooney ”. Goals by James Maddison and Ayoze Pérez bookended the scoring, with James Ward-Prowse’s second-half penalty a mere consolation as the visitors ended the season with a fourth successive defeat. For Leicester, a comprehensive victory was enough to secure eighth at the end of a testing campaign.

Leicester’s victory secured an impressive finish of eighth despite a season