Bartosz Kapustka is feeling optimistic about his Leicester City future after a conversation with manager Brendan Rodgers.
The Polish winger’s City career is yet to get off the ground, three years on his from multi-million pound move from Cracovia, but Rodgers has given him “high hopes” of turning his fortunes around.
Failing to replicate the promise he showed for Poland at Euro 2016, Kapustka has made just three appearances for City, all in the FA Cup, and has spent the past two campaigns on loan at Bundesliga side Freiburg and King Power-owned Belgian outfit OH Leuven.
Kapustka, now 22, was getting regular game-time at Leuven before he suffered a cruciate ligament tear in March, ruling him out of this summer’s European Under-21 Championships.
Despite his stuttering career and serious knee injury, Kapustka is feeling upbeat thanks to his treatment by Leicester and Rodgers.
“It may seem that I am unwanted there, but I feel great at Leicester,” he told Polish outlet Sportowe Fakty.
“I came to the club at the end of the season with injuries, I was also at the last match against Chelsea in the Premier League.
“The club's employees, the president, the guys from the team – everyone welcomed me very warmly, with openness, a smile, respect. I feel that everyone supports me in this difficult moment, wishes me the best, and does not treat me like a mercenary.
“I also met the coach Brendan Rodgers, I had the opportunity to talk to him about my future in the club. These were very positive words, giving me high hopes.
“I will say this: everything depends now on me. I am not written down as a loss there.
“I do not think about the next loan, for this moment only recovery is what counts for me, I am not looking ahead.”
Kapustka has two years remaining on his City deal and will be back at the club next week when the first batch of players return for pre-season training.
Because of the severity of his knee injury, Kapustka will not be working alongside his team-mates from the start, but expects to be back in full training soon.
“I am currently undergoing the most important period of rehabilitation, the intensity of my training is already very large,” Kapustka said.
“When it comes to overall fitness, everything is at the right level.
“From what I see myself, the rehabilitation is going according to plan. Leicester City’s doctors are also happy with their progress.
“(Earlier this month), I had a consultation with Dr. Pier Paolo Mariani in Rome who operated on my knee. The results are very good.
“I try to use this period as best as I can to improve many aspects, like my strength and power. I can do more work in the gym.
“Leicester City begin the preparatory period next month (July 1). I think that in the first phase I will not be ready 100 per cent, but soon I will be able to enter.”
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