Leading Leicester as interim boss 'bittersweet' for King

Managing Leicester City is the job Andy King always wanted.

This week he has found himself in the right place, just at the wrong time for him.

The decorated former Foxes midfielder, who collected League One and Championship titles with Leicester before playing a part in the club's crowning achievement of winning the Premier League 10 years ago, insists that stepping in as interim replacement for Marti Cifuentes is nothing more than a "temporary" arrangement.

When asked what it would mean to the 37-year-old to stand in the technical area as Leicester boss for Saturday's visit of Charlton, he spoke proudly of fulfilling a career ambition in complicated circumstances.

"It will obviously be something I probably pictured when I went into my coaching journey six or seven years ago," he told BBC East Midlands Today.

"It was always a goal of mine to manage this football club. Did I envisage it happening now or when I came back to the club with the under-18s 18 months ago? No, I didn't.

"It's almost a little bittersweet because I'm ultimately stood there because the club isn't in a position where we want to be.

"And I don't think we can we can get away from that. I actually think there needs to be an acknowledgement of that."

King, a Foxes academy graduate whose first two seasons of first-team football at the club saw them relegated from the Championship in 2008 and promoted from League One 12 months later, says there can be no hiding from the trouble that Leicester find themselves in.

Cifuentes was sacked on Sunday, a day after a 2-1 defeat by lowly Oxford United left the Foxes languishing in the bottom half of the Championship table.

And while Leicester are 14th, just six points adrift of the play-off spots, the looming threat of a points penalty for alleged breaches of profit and sustainability rules (PSR) could mean they will be faced with a battle for Championship survival.

King says he has been thrust into the top job "earlier than I thought" because of those circumstance, and added that he will take the job "game by game" as no timeframe has been given for when a permanent replacement will be appointed.

"This is a temporary appointment. It's not me throwing my hat into the ring going, 'look, I want to be here for however long' or something like that," he said.

"And as you can all imagine, there will be no-one in the stadium more determined to get three points than I will.

"Can we start climbing back towards the top six rather than maybe looking down? That will be the bigger picture. I don't want it to be the Andy King Show and 'look at him in the technical area'."

In the five days since he was handed interim charge of the Foxes, King says he has tried to get players to take greater responsibility for their performances.

Talk of Leicester playing with an "identity" that tallies with the club's remarkable against-the-odds successes of the past has been a constant from a succession of managers at King Power Stadium.

"We have done a little bit of work with the lads this week and said 'it's you guys who have to almost drive that - there has to be a certain pride amongst yourselves. Be proud of that. Be proud of the team you want to be and what it means to wear this shirt'," King said.

"We can all give a game plan and tactical information, but ultimately it's down to the lads to actually go out and make that work."

The side that King has to call on this week is one that has been hit hard by midfield absences.

Jordan James - Leicester's standout performer this season - remains injured, while Oliver Skipp is also sidelined as he recovers from a head knock.

Boubakary Soumare left Leicester on Thursday to join Qatari side Al-Duhail and former England international Harry Winks has been left out with no explanation since November.

King said he could not comment on what conversations have previously taken place about Winks' involvement, but added that he will be considered for the side to face Charlton.

"Winksy, like everyone, has been training with the group and has been training with the group all the time," King said.

"We are short with Skippy's injury and JJ's injury, so he has trained and trained well, and like always he will be available for selection."

Meanwhile, former Foxes first-team coach Adam Sadler has returned to the club on a short-term basis to support King in his temporary role.

Sadler's arrival came as Cifuentes' assistant manager Xavi Calm, first-team goalkeeping coach Javi Ortiz and analyst Carlos Martinez Gil were relieved of their duties on Friday.