Leicester winger Harvey Barnes has admitted that manager Brendan Rodgers hammered home his commitment to the club at the time of extensive reports linking him with Manchester United.
As United's woes towards the back end of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure worsened, Rodgers, before United had even sacked Solskjaer, was being heavily linked with succeeding him at Old Trafford.
Rodgers, who has previously managed Liverpool, has overseen an impressive job at the King Power Stadium since succeeding Claude Puel as Foxes manager in February 2019, winning the FA Cup and guiding the club to back-to-back fifth-placed finishes in the Premier League, meaning his stock has significantly risen since taking charge in the Midlands.
As speculation connecting Rodgers and the managerial post at Old Trafford grew, Barnes has revealed that the Leicester boss made the decision to reaffirm his dedication to the club by holding a meeting with his players.
Barnes told The Beautiful Game Podcast : "Obviously it is difficult for him in that situation, where it was all in the press and he knew that the lads would have read that, especially when there was so much speculation.
"But he made it clear to the lads that whilst he is at this club his full focus is with us and he wants to move forward with the project that we have got going on.
"As a team it was nice to hear that and know that he is with us for the ride."
United, of course, turned to Ralf Rangnick to take charge at Old Trafford until the end of the season after making the decision to sack Solskjaer in November.
Ajax chief Erik ten Hag and Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino are currently the frontrunners for the job on a permanent basis.
Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
