Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri praises 'hard-working' Shinji Okazaki

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has described 'hard-working' Shinji Okazaki as the "dilly ding, dilly dong" of the team.

The Foxes claimed a historic Premier League title triumph last season, but they have struggled for victories in the 2016-17 campaign.

After two defeats and a draw, the Foxes managed to find a win by beating Crystal Palace 3-1 at the King Power Stadium.

Okazaki earned his first start since September 10 in the match at the weekend and found the back of the net, which has prompted Ranieri to speak of the 30-year-old's importance to the team.

"He is a hard worker - sometimes he's not so close to goal but when the ball is around the box Shinji is always there," Ranieri told reporters. "He is important for team because he presses a lot - he is our dilly ding, dilly dong. He wakes up our players, he has the bell!"

Okazaki also covered 11.66km during the game, which is more than Jamie Vardy has run this season.