Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has said that Leicester City have done fantastic recruitment over the past year and they have a squad capable of competing at a different level. The Foxes surprised the footballing fraternity as they won the Premier League title in 2016 but they have since struggled to replicate the success and have finished outside of the European places in the past three seasons.

The east Midlands outfit showed signs of improvement after the arrival of manager Brendan Rodgers earlier this year and they have continued with the same vein of form this term and are currently occupying the fourth spot. Speaking to Sky Sports, Mata said that every club in the top-flight is focused on improving and the Foxes are one of the teams to watch out during the ongoing campaign.

He told: “I think every club is improving and clubs like Leicester are recruiting really well and they have very good players that can take them to a different level. Not long ago (Leicester) won the Premier League so they know what it takes to win. Football is more difficult now because every club is growing a lot so it’s more competitive and every club is able to sign good players. So you have to be better every single season to try and reach your aims.”

Brendan Rodgers’ side recently produced a strong performance against Liverpool at Anfield and they nearly grabbed a point before they conceded a late penalty. Nonetheless, there are plenty of positives to carry forward from the display and Rodgers will be hoping that the Foxes can sustain the early run of form for the course of the season. Leicester have a home game against Burnley after the international break and the game won’t be straightforward with the Clarets providing a physical presence through Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes.