Pérez Highlights City's Fighting Spirit

- Ayoze Pérez responds to Leicester City's 3-3 friendly draw at OH Leuven
- The Spaniard praised some of the attacking play on show from the Foxes in Belgium
- Pérez is also excited by the schedule of four friendlies on the horizon for City
- Leicester are still to play Hull City, Derby County, Preston North End and Sevilla

That 3-3 draw at Belgian sister club Leuven – featuring goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Patson Daka and Jamie Vardy – was played over 120 minutes in order to give players as much game time as possible. It followed a week-long training camp in Évian-les-Bains, France. 

Although City had earlier contested another friendly against Notts County, that clash with OHL was Pérez's first minutes of the summer. The Spaniard starred for over an hour at King Power At Den Dreef Stadium ahead of Wednesday's visit to second tier side Hull City (7:45pm BST kick-off).

"It was quite tough," Pérez told LCFC TV. "For me, in my first friendly, it's good to get some minutes. They are a couple of weeks ahead of us, but it's good to get the feeling back, get some game time and we're getting ready, getting fitter for the main thing – which is Brentford."

That Premier League opening-day meeting with Brentford is now three weeks away. After tackling Hull in midweek, Brendan Rodgers' squad face a double-header of friendlies against Derby County and Preston North End at the weekend, before welcoming Sevilla to King Power Stadium on 31 July.

"It's part of the process, it's a way to get fitter and fitter," Pérez added. "It was a great game by the boys, a great couple of goals, and the main thing is that, fitness-wise, we are getting closer. We knew it was going to be tough in the first half. You feel a bit leggy and you're blowing a little bit, which is normal.

"That is why we play in these games. We fought well and then, in the second half, we knew we could push a bit more for those 15 minutes. We got the two goals, with great executions by the guys, and overall it was quite good for everyone to get minutes in the tank and to keep getting fitter."

The Foxes are now back in the United Kingdom, where they'll train at LCFC Training Ground in Seagrave, building up to the new 2022/23 season.

"It's going to be a tough week but we need game time," Leicester's No.17 explained. "It's brilliant to get these two games next week to keep getting used to the game-fitness and to keep improving. That's what we do in training so we'll keep going and keep getting closer."