Nigel Pearson: 'Leicester City will play with desire'

Nigel Pearson has told his Leicester City side to "play with a desire, a committed and a brave, positive attitude" as they close in on a place in the Premier League.

The Foxes, who are on an 11-game unbeaten run, are currently eight points clear at the top of the Championship table.

Pearson believes that it is important the leaders now maintain their current level of performance.

"I want my players to go out and play with a desire, a committed and a brave, positive attitude," the 50-year-old is quoted as saying by the Hinckley Times. "When I say brave, I don't mean getting your head split; I mean wanting the ball, wanting to perform and I think we have that in our squad.

"You can't expect players to be in form throughout the entirety of the season, but we have a squad of players that are very supportive of each other. The side has been settled for some time, but the players that can come in, and will come in at some point, we keep the standard of performance very high. That's going to be important for us.

"Between now and the end of the season it's going to be about getting performances right and if we can do that then I'm sure we'll be able to get enough results to do what we're aiming to do."

City are back in action next Wednesday, with a short trip to Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest.