Drinkwater Values Mansfield Minutes

- Nugent scores in 1-1 draw at One Call Stadium 

- Ranieri fields 22 first team players against the Stags 

- Drinkwater applauds Foxes’ fans for superb support 

Another pre-season friendly appearance for Danny Drinkwater provided the Leicester City midfielder with some useful game time ahead of the 2015/16 Barclays Premier League season. 

The former Manchester United youngster came on as a second half substitute in the 1-1 draw with Mansfield Town on Saturday, following 45 minutes against Lincoln City in the previous game. 

Striker David Nugent opened the scoring at One Call Stadium with a fine curling effort before Matt Green levelled the game up from the penalty spot. 

“I don’t feel too bad,” Drinkwater told Foxes Player HD after the game. “They manage you well here. They try and get your fitness out of you when you can, which is why some of the boys played more [against Mansfield]. 

“We’re all at different stages at the moment, so it’s about getting the minutes when you can. 

“You can see from the games that it’s still early days, but we’re trying to do the right things and what the manager is asking. It’s just about getting the minutes to get our fitness back. 

“It’s about getting the feeling of the ball back and getting the sharpness back in your feet to work your way up to the top of your game.” 

While performance rates and results will naturally differ as manager Claudio Ranieri continues to field all of his first team squad in pre-season, one thing has been consistent according to Drinkwater. 

“The away fans in both games have been top,” he added. “They’re the noisiest and they usually are to be honest. 

“King Power Stadium is a great place to be playing your football, so everyone is looking forward to getting back there.”