Rodgers On Pre-Season, New Signings & Évian
The Foxes are due to touch down in France on Sunday afternoon ahead of an intense six-day training camp under Rodgers' guidance in temperatures exceeding 27 degrees.
A host of the Club’s internationals will link up with their team-mates on the shores of Lake Geneva following the return of Kelechi Iheanacho, Çağlar Söyüncü and Danny Ward on Friday.
Reflecting on a productive first week of pre-season conducted at Belvoir Drive, which included the summer arrivals of Ayoze Pérez and James Justin, Rodgers said: “Well, it’s been great.
“We gave the players a programme at the end of last season and they’ve come back in really good condition. They’ve really looked after themselves over the off season and it’s been a hard week for them.
“They’ve coped very, very well and they’ve given themselves a good base. There’s a lot of work for us still to do over the next five weeks.”
Rodgers also elaborated further on his decisions to sign Pérez from Newcastle United and James, an enterprising full-back from Luton Town, earlier this summer.
They are signings which provide the Northern Irish manager with valuable options in key positions as the Foxes embark on their sixth successive Premier League campaign.
“I felt that we didn’t need too many players in,” he added. “There were certain positions where we needed cover with the likes of Danny [Simpson] going, and we brought in young JJ.
“He’s a very exciting young player whose had a great career down at Luton and makes the step up to the Premier League. Over time he’s going to be able to cope with that.
“He’s shown up very, very well in this first week. So we’re looking forward to working with him and Ayoze is an experienced player in the Premier League.
“He understands it and what I felt the team needed was more goals. If we’re going to take more steps forward this coming season, we need to score more goals and create more opportunities.
“He’s a player that can play in a couple of positions, but wherever he plays, he scores goals, so the Club have made a good investment in a very, very good player.
“In his mid-20s, he’s coming into his peak years, so I’m really looking forward to working with him also.”
Looking ahead to next week’s stay in France, Rodgers expressed excitement as the Club’s preparations for the 2019/20 season continue to take shape.
Over the course of those six days away, the Foxes will undergo daily training sessions as Rodgers and his backroom team continue to evaluate the squad ahead of the new campaign.
Rodgers continued: “The players were out in Évian last year… I’ve not been there myself, but I’m really looking forward to getting away, just change the scenery.
“We’re in the preparation phase, so there’s a lot of work that goes on, on and off the field, and we look forward to that when we get out there next week.”