Jannik Vestergaard believes former manager Enzo Maresca made a big mistake in allowing one of his teammates to leave on loan last season.
Enzo Maresca enjoyed a successful season in just his second senior managerial role at Leicester City last season as he amassed 97 points to win the Championship.
However, the Argentine coach will not preside over the club’s return to the Premier League after being the surprise choice to succeed Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea manager.
Maresca has a very specific playing style which is very closely aligned to Pep Guardiola; for whom he was assistant at Manchester City prior to moving to be the number one at Leicester last summer.
The possession-based style did not suit everyone and there were some victims of Maresca’s desired approach.
One such player was Victor Kristiansen, with the Dane allowed to join Bologna on loan despite signing for Leicester for £17 million six months earlier.
Jannik Vestergaard backs Victor Kristiansen for Leicester City return
Jannik Vestergaard was a key part of Maresca’s Leicester side last season, starting 42 of 46 Championship games.
Vestergaard is representing Denmark at this summer’s European Championships and Kristiansen is also in the squad after impressing on loan at Bologna as they secured an unlikely Champions League spot.
Vestergaard spoke to local Danish media and backed Kristiansen to be reintegrated into the Leicester squad next season under a new manager, implying that he feels Maresca was wrong to write him off.
When asked if Kristiansen can return for Leicester, Vestergaard answered: “Yes, definitely. He has some qualities that suit us and English football.
“Most recently, we had a coach who built the game in a different way, and then he ended up in a position where he couldn’t quite see himself, and I could understand that too.
“It also turned out to be a good decision for him to go to Bologna.”
Could Kristiansen make Leicester return?
There is uncertainty around Leicester currently given the fact Maresca’s replacement is yet to be announced.
However, after a season in which he played 32 Serie A games and provided four assists, it is likely whoever is appointed will want to take a look at Kristiansen in pre-season at the very least.
At 21, the left-back has bags of potential and proved last season he is more than capable of performing at the top level.
Kristiansen’s manager at Bologna, Thiago Motta – who has since taken over at Juventus – spoke glowingly of the Dane earlier this year, saying: “He is a fantastic guy.
“I love his attitude when he gets the ball, his reaction to errors and his efforts to recover possession because they are similar to mine when I was 16 and I was playing for Barcelona.
“He is fantastic and shows what I want to see, so I am really happy.”
Bologna have an option to buy Kristiansen but with the Italian club looking to negotiate a much lower fee Leicester may well hold onto the young talent.
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