Wellens: Much more to come

Leicester city midfielder Richie Wellens insists the players are still finding their feet under new manager Paulo Sousa.

The Foxes have picked up just a point from their opening two fixtures, but aside from a dreadful first at Crystal Palace, have shown encouraging signs elsewhere.

And midfielder Wellens insists that there is much more to come from City in the coming weeks.

“I still don’t think we have reached our peak,” he said.

“I think we can play a lot, lot more. Sometimes it is just too easy to pump the ball up to Steve Howard or hit the channels.

“I think we have more in the locker because we have good players who can play.

“I think in the next five or six games you will see that. The first couple of games are tough but after five or six the quality will come through.”

Wellens himself was a mere bystander in the first half at Selhurst Park, but has since returned to the starting fold for matches against Macclesfield and Middlesbrough.

Despite his frustrations at only making the bench on the opning day, the 30-year-old insists that his fitness was an issue at the time.

“To be honest, in the last few weeks of pre-season I didn’t play any games,” he revealed.

“I didn’t start the first game of the season which was a little frustrating. But I played in the Carling Cup game the other day and I played on Saturday. I needed those two games to get some fitness.

“If I can carry on playing now I can really start to get my season going.

Wellens played as part of a midfield three in Saturday’s goalless draw with Middlesbrough, a role he enjoyed success with under former manager Nigel Pearson.

“I prefer to push on. When you play the holding role there is a lot of responsibility to screen the back four, chasing and tracking runners.

“When you get the ball after tracking runners you are breathing a bit, so I prefer to get on the ball more and try and put strikers in.”