LEICESTER City manager Enzo Maresca is a very happy man following the return to fitness of Super Eagles of Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.

The Foxes claimed their first win in four Championship matches last night, beating Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light as Ndidi was introduced in the second half.

The Nigeria midfielder had been out since December, missing out on the Super Eagles’ Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Cote d’Ivoire.

Ndidi’s muscle injury also ruled him out of 10 Leicester City fixtures, four of which they lost.

Last night’s away victory kept Leicester City on top of the English second-tier, three points clear of second-placed Ipswich and five of third-placed Leeds United, with the first two spots guaranteed promotion to the Premier League.

“It’s an important win,” Maresca said in his post-match interview. “Especially after three defeats in a row. Sometimes you have to win games in an ugly way. [In the] first half we were quite good, in the second half we suffered, but in this moment, the win is so important.

“The first half, especially the first half an hour, was unbelievable. We had many chances, we missed and we have struggled to score goals in these games. But at the end, it was important to win the game.”

It was a welcome return for Ndidi in midfield, the Nigeria international managing 20 minutes in his first appearance since the end of December.

“I’m very happy. We need him, Wilf is so important to us so it’s good to have him back,” Maresca added.

[NaijaTimes]