The France international midfielder spent a single season at the King Power Stadium but still made a big impression on the England striker
Jamie Vardy says former Leicester team-mate N’Golo Kante was a “pleasure” to play alongside and revealed that the squad once had to convince the midfielder not to run to training.
The France international spent one season with the Foxes and played a pivotal role in their unexpected Premier League triumph before leaving to join Chelsea in 2016.
The 28-year-old has become a vital part of the Blues’ squad since his arrival and has already won a second league trophy as well as the Europa League and FA Cup. He has even lifted the World Cup with France since his departure from the King Power Stadium.
Their time in the same team may have been brief, but Leicester striker Vardy has good memories of the “adorable” defensive midfielder, who he says had an impressive work rate.
“What a pleasure it was to play alongside N’Golo!” he said to L’Equipe.
“He is an adorable guy alongside being a fantastic footballer: when we lost the ball, wherever that happened on the pitch, boom, he would appear and win it back for us.
“In training, it was so easy for him that I was convinced that he intentionally gave the ball away sometimes just to enjoy winning it back again.
“One day he said to us that he was seriously considering running to the training centre each day, which came from the fact that he would always add a little running session for himself.
“In the moment, we were all a bit taken aback and convinced him not to. In any case, each time that we saw him arrive at training with his Mini Cooper, we were reassured.”
Kante went head-to-head with his former side in August, as Leicester held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
And Kante used the opportunity to catch up some old team-mates, including Vardy.
“Last month, after our match at Stamford Bridge, he came to say hello to us in the dressing room,” the England international said.
“The first thing that I asked him was: ‘Are you still driving your Mini Cooper, mate?’ He said to me that he had sent the model that he had at Leicester back to France but that he had bought a new Mini Cooper in the meantime!”
Source:Goal.com