Leicester: Brendan Rodgers insists he is fully backed by the board despite poor start to the season

Brendan Rodgers admits Leicester’s start to the season has been his most difficult period as a manager but is determined to turn around their fortunes.

The Foxes are bottom of the table after losing five matches in a row – the first time this has happened to Rodgers as a top-flight boss – and face Aston Villa on Saturday with a haul of one point from six matches.

The future of Rodgers, who took charge in February 2019, has come under increasing scrutiny but the former Liverpool and Celtic boss believes he can arrest the slump.

Manager Brendan Rodgers (above) has admitted he is going through a ‘challenging period’

‘It’s a challenging moment, definitely the most challenging period I’ve had as a manager but the idea is to get through it and the only way you do that is to work hard,’ said Rodgers. ‘This is the longest time I have spent at a club.

‘I love being here and I will fight as hard as I possibly can to stay here and make the team the best we can with what we have.

‘This is what you would call the hard yards now as a manager, so you’ve got to take what comes your way. I got the credit when we won the FA Cup last May but I’ve never been too high with that and I’ve never been too low with this.

‘I’m a bit like my father. He was a happy man but he looked miserable on the outside, bless him. Anyone who knows me knows I’m full of optimism and I always like to have good energy to inspire others.’

Rodgers had expressed frustration all summer at their lack of activity in the transfer market, and looked particularly dejected after Leicester were beaten 5-2 at Brighton last weekend.

The Foxes have made a disappointing start to the season and are bottom of the Premier League

However, the Northern Irishman has insisted that he still feels he has the full backing of the board.   

‘They have been very supportive,’ he said. ‘I’m not daft. I understand football and it’s not been a great start at all but I think their support probably shows the level of work we’ve done here and the work behind the scenes.

‘There is also an appreciation of the difficulty of where we’ve been over the summer. It’s my responsibility to improve results, no question about that. I’ve had nothing but support from within to help us get that.  

‘My career has been built on resilience and it’s certainly something that you need in this industry. It’s how I’ve arrived at where I have.

‘Because I was not a big player. I had to coach, I had to work with and manage players and it’s not all been plain sailing in my career, so the strength is very easy to come by.’

Rodgers also made a favourable comparison between the situation he finds at Leicester and those he has experienced at previous clubs.

Rodgers believes he still has the full support of the board despite Leicester’s poor start

He has been dismissed twice in his career, at Reading and Liverpool, but he expects Leciester’s hierarchy to stand by him.

He added: ‘Normally what you find when results go against you maybe as a manager, and I’ve been at a number of clubs now, there can be a level of betrayal that kicks in against you as a manager but I’ve never felt that here at all.

‘All the staff, players, everyone have been absolutely brilliant in their support. We just keep working hard and look to get back to a consistent level. That’s what gives me the strength and the determination.’   

Meanwhile, Danish coach Lars Knudsen is to join the club as a set-piece specialist. Knudsen had been due to move to Leicester in the summer but his arrival was delayed by visa issues. The 45-year-old has spent time with age-group national teams in his homeland and will work with the United States during this year’s World Cup.