Leicester City may be going through a difficult time when it comes to getting results in the Premier League, but that has not prevented them from securing the long-term future of some of the important players.

Defender Ritchie de Laet has been a first-team regular since moving from Manchester United in 2012. The defender may have made only 11 appearances this season, but manager Nigel Pearson is confident that the 26-year-old will be a key player for the club in the coming years. They have come to terms with the player, who has signed a new four-year contract.

The Belgian international spent time on loan at various clubs like Sheffield United, Norwich, Portsmouth, and Preston before coming to Leicester City. He has finally found a solid platform he can develop his football. Leicester are confident that they have secured the long-term future of a player with the best years ahead of him.De Laet admitted that Leicester City took a major risk with him when they signed him permanently in 2012, but he feels that he has promptly rewarded their faith with some good performances that led to promotion to the Premier League in the summer.

Leicester have been slowly slipping down the table after an impressive start to the season.”Leicester took a risk with me at the start when they brought me here without a lot of experience and they stuck with me, so now I’m doing the same thing with them. It’s been nearly the same group since I’ve been here. Most have signed new contracts to stay with Leicester, so we’re a group that are tied together and we’ll fight together to stay in the Premier League,” said the defender to the club’s official site after putting pen on the dotted line.De Laet has made two appearances for Belgium.