Leicester can almost feel the trophy – Morgan

Leicester City captain Wes Morgan admits the Premier League leaders “can almost feel the metal on the cup” – but has urged them to keep working.

Claudio Ranieri’s side picked up a fifth win in a row with a 2-0 victory at Sunderland last week, meaning they need just three wins from their final five games to guarantee the most unlikely of title triumphs.

Morgan concedes the squad are at last beginning to believe that the trophy is within their grasp, but warns that they cannot become carried away until the job is completed.

“At Sunderland last Sunday, we saw our fans in the stands with flags saying ‘champions’ on them. We can’t get carried away with that. There’s still work to be done,” he told The Daily Mail.

“But it’s a big, big possibility. I can’t deny that. It’s in our hands. We’ve got the chance to win the games to make it happen, to finish as champions. As a kid, it’s all I dreamed about: playing in the best league in the world, becoming a champion and lifting that trophy. So I can see the end, definitely, and I want to make the dream a reality.

“It’s surreal now. You’re in the moment and you’’re just kind of going along with it. When it’s all over, maybe it’ll dawn on me. There are no butterflies though, that’s just the way our team are. It’s more like, ‘Let’s do this’.

“It’s fantastic that I’ve been part of something that’s inspired people all over the country, the world even, to believe in the underdog. There are five games to go and it’s in our hands. We can almost feel the metal on the cup.”

Leicester’s win and Tottenham’s defeat of Manchester United last week confirmed that Ranieri’s side will at least be playing Champions League football next season.

Morgan admits it will be a remarkable moment in his career but has no fear that Leicester could become whipping boys on the continent, given the form they have demonstrated this year.

“It’s unbelievable. To say I’ve played at Camp Nou or the [Santiago] Bernabeu, hearing the Champions League music and everything that goes with it would be very special — one of the pinnacles of my career,” said the 32-year-old. 

“But we’re playing against some of the best teams and players in Europe now — Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal — and more than holding our own. So I don’t see why we shouldn’t compete against anyone else.”

Morgan – whose side face West Ham on Sunday – also revealed what makes the approach taken by Ranieri with his players so effective.

“He likes the banter!” he added. “He’s a very approachable guy. I speak to him a lot, being captain, and he likes a laugh. But when it’s time to get serious, he’ll get serious. And he doesn’t mind cracking the whip when necessary.

“On the training field he focuses a lot on our shape. He’s very good at working on tactics and the specifics of how we’re going to approach each game and different opposition. He has us very organised. We all know our roles.”