Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson has called on his players to remain focused after they moved seven points clear at the top of the Championship with a 4-1 win against promotion rivals Derby County on Friday night.
Richie De Laet’s first-half goal, a David Nugent brace and a Jamie Vardy effort helped to see off Steve McClaren’s Rams who could have moved to within four points of the Foxes had they picked up the win at the King Power Stadium.
De Laet’s own goal had cut Leicester’s lead to 2-1 in the second half, but the hosts stepped up a gear to highlight their promotion credentials with two more goals to seal an emphatic win against their East Midlands rivals.
Despite their strong position at the summit of the Championship, the Foxes have off-field issues to resolve as the contracts of Pearson and 10 first-team players are due to expire in the summer.
But the manager has urged his squad to keep their eyes on the prize of securing a place in the Premier League and worry about contracts when the job is done.
“It’s a common occurrence in football and nothing out of the ordinary. But progress has been made in certain areas regarding that issue and players’ representatives are in discussions with the club,” Pearson told Sky Sports News.
“But the important thing is we keep our focus on the job in hand. You don’t often get this opportunity in this division to be a front-runner the way we are and we need to keep winning games and moving forward.”
Pearson is set to bolster his squad in the transfer window after confirming his interest in Crystal Palace’s soon to be out-of-contract veteran striker Kevin Phillips, while he is poised to wrap up a deal for La Havre winger Riyad Mahrez.
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