Daniel Amartey’s rise from forgotten misfit to Leicester cult hero

There are only three outfield players standing from Leicester City’s extraordinary Premier League title success back in 2016.

The obvious name that jumps out immediately is Jamie Vardy, still one of the first on the team sheet six years later. Another is Marc Albrighton, whose role in the squad now may be more limited now, but no less important. Most impartial observers would be surprised to learn that Daniel Amartey picked up a winner’s medal during the Foxes’ coronation after the club’s final home outing of that season against Everton.

The Ghanaian international made his debut at home to Norwich City in February 2016, the match famous for triggering a mini earthquake when Leonardo Ulloa netted a late winner, this being the first of five appearances in Amartey’s first half-season since making the switch from FC Copenhagen.

A versatile player, Amartey began his Leicester career playing as a right-back with his preferred position of central midfield locked out by the irrepressible duo of Danny Drinkwater and N’Golo Kante. The 78 minutes the Ghanaian racked up on his maiden Premier League bow, filling in for the suspended Danny Simpson, proved to be the most he would get in any fixture that campaign as Claudio Ranieri struggled to incorporate him, shying away from changing his winning formula.