Zambian striker Patson Daka has spoken about his relationship with Leicester City’s new manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Daka, who is in contention to play for the Foxes in the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday against EFL Championship opponents Queens Park Rangers (QPR), spoke about what it is like to be coached by the former Manchester United striker.
“Everyone is enjoying working under him,” Daka said in an interview with Leicester City FC media. “He’s a great person; he’s a great manager, and we’re all just trying to give our best for him. He’s doing the same; he’s making sure that he’s improving us every day and everyone is excited to work every day to make sure we give our best for the team.
“It’s only been a few weeks but we’re starting to learn more about each other. I think we are making progress.”
Van Nistelrooy also admitted to being a long-time admirer of the Chipolopolo striker last month.
“I think he’s probably the player I have seen the most of; also, at a young age, when he was at Salzburg, I was already following him,” van Nistelrooy said.“I was interested in him when I was PSV manager, to be honest.”
He added, “I think he has great potential; that’s what he showed in Austria, scoring a lot of goals and assisting a lot. It’s something that I saw in him; he’s only going to get better. Developing him on a daily basis, he’s got a lot of potential.”
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Daka has played eight games this season after recovering from an ankle injury that required surgery. He has started only one game and scored one goal.
The Chipolopolo striker believes that Van Nistelrooy is the best person to learn from.
“He’s the best person to learn from, to be honest. We have been doing so many things in training, including extra work with all the strikers,” disclosed Daka. “It’s good to learn from him and realize that there are so many things you can do to improve and make sure that you get to that level—even in areas you thought you were strong in.
Daka continued, “He has played at a high level for a long time and he understands the game a lot better than I do so I just try my best to ask questions and learn as much as I can. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be managed by one of the greats so I’m trying to make the most of that.”
Since he was appointed, Van Nistelrooy has managed just four points from a possible six in his opening two matches. The Foxes are now on a five-match winless run in the English Premier League.
They will face QPR on Saturday and Daka says it’s a great opportunity for the team to regain their confidence.
“We need this game to try to help us get back our full confidence by getting back to winning ways. It’s not going to be easy and we need to take the game seriously as it will be tough. We need to make sure it’s one that boosts our confidence.”
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