It appears Patson Daka has won over his Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca with the Italian promising to give the Chipolopolo striker more game time after scoring in back-to-back games.
Daka has had a difficult time under Maresca. The patient goal poacher had missed the majority of the season’s first four months before things began to fall into place last Saturday.
From the word go, Maresca made it clear that he favored Jamie Vardy and Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho over Daka to lead Leicester’s frontline.
This is evidenced by the fact that, until Saturday, Daka had only played one match in 19 league games, making the bench 10 times and missing out on the squad eight times despite his national team form.
However, with Maresca’s blue-eyed boys, Iheanacho and Vardy unavailable due to illness and injury respectively, the Italian has turned to Daka. He offered him a place in the starting 11 on the last two occasions.
Determined to prove Maresca and his doubters wrong, Daka has scored on both occasions.
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Maresca has since revealed that Iheanacho and Vardy will have to be at their best to win their place back into the starting 11 at the expense of the Chipolopolo star.
“If you are playing, you deserve it,” Maresca was quoted as saying by Beinsport. “If someone comes in and they are doing well, you need to work.”
Maresca added, “Patson is scoring goals and working hard after three or four months of having to wait. We are going to trust him and give him more chances, no doubt.”
