Jonny Evans: Leicester captaincy has made defender 'happiest in a long time'

Jonny Evans has said that being made Leicester City captain has made him the happiest he has been in a long time.

Evans, 34, told BBC Radio 5 Live that he will lead by example, adding that he does not mind if giving his opinions on the pitch upsets his teammates.

"It is the happiest I have been in a long time," the centre-half said.

"I had a feeling with being vice-captain last year that it might be something that I have the chance to do and, when the manager finally asked me, I was so happy.

"I feel like it's a natural progression for me and something I'm looking forward to doing, representing the team and my teammates.

"I like to try and lead by example. I wouldn't say I'm the most vocal but when I'm on the pitch, I make my opinions quite a bit with the players.

"They don't always appreciate it but when you're in the zone and you're competing, I like to feel that adrenaline rush and lead by example. That would be on the training pitch, too, and around around the training ground."

While delighted to have assumed the captaincy, Evans, who joined The Foxes from West Brom in 2018, admitted the departure of Schmeichel has left a void at the club, but also an opportunity for other players to take responsibility.

"When he said his goodbyes it was a surreal moment," the former Manchester United defender continued.

"It was for him, too, being at the club for such a long time. When you think of Leicester City you think of Kasper Schmeichel and for him to leave was a big shock to all of us.

"But with football there is a chance for people to step in and normally that's the sort of evolution of the dressing room."

Rodgers 'one of the best coaches in the world'

Evans wore the captain's armband as Leicester began the new Premier League campaign with a 2-2 draw at home to Brentford on Sunday, and they will follow that up with a trip to London to face Arsenal on Saturday.

Finishing eighth last season meant the club missed out on a place in Europe. However, Evans believes he and his team-mates could benefit from having more time on the training ground with Rodgers - a manager that he rates extremely highly.

"We've got one of the best coaches in the world. I'm sure he'll enjoy being on the grass coaching," said Evans.

"The manager will be able to get out and coach us as we've got more training days and less travelling away from home.

He admitted: "We found it hard to really do any coaching last year as we were always recovering from games. We had a lot more games crammed in, with games being called off, so towards the end of this season, it was so busy for us.

"We've already seen the benefit of that this this summer, as a team we are able to get on the training pitch and coach. There are a lot more sessions geared towards us and hopefully that's something that can pay off in the long run."

Quite a bit has been made about Leicester failing to sign any new players this summer but, ahead of the meeting with Arsenal, Evans insisted there are no problems with morale within the dressing room.

"The mood is great," he said. "We've been together for a number of years now. There's a real unity in our squad and the players all know each other really well, have got close relationships and whatever happens in the transfer window, happens.

"Obviously, we have got a couple of couple of weeks before that will be finalised but we're just ready to kick on.

"We've finished in good positions in the league and won the FA Cup not so long ago with the same players, so there's a real belief in the squad that we can go on and do something similar."

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