Shinji Okazaki has confirmed he will be leaving Leicester City this summer in pursuit of a new challenge.
The 33-year-old is coming to the end of his fourth year at King Power Stadium and will go down in club folklore for being a part of the title-winning squad in his first season with the club.
However, the Japan international has become an increasingly peripheral figure in the last 12 months, and with new head coach Brendan Rodgers having no role for him in the side, Okazaki will walk away when his contract expires in June.
The striker has now revealed that he has never been entirely satisfied with the role he’s been asked to play at Leicester, claiming he wanted to be further up the field. “So I have decided to leave Leicester.
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It is because I thought strongly that I would like to challenge next season in a place where I can play as a striker,” he told Japanese newspaper Nikkei. “My role at Leicester is definitely not a striker.
It feels like I am seen as the second row midfielder. I feel that I am not a midfielder when I see the high ability of a professional midfielder with their skill level. “There have been few opportunities for playing this season. “I will make my decision on my next destination based on ‘can I play as a striker? It will be more interesting to play in a place where that is possible.”
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