[h=3]Leicester City are delighted to confirm that defender Ritchie De Laet has signed a new four-year deal to keep him at King Power Stadium until 2018.[/h]The 25-year-old Belgian full-back, who has started every one of City’s 11 Barclays Premier League games this season, signed from Manchester United in 2012 and is just three games shy of his 100th appearance for the Club.
Speaking exclusively to Foxes Player, De Laet said: “I’m so happy to sign a new deal here at Leicester. I’m settled, my family has settled and hopefully it’ll be a good thing for the Club and me. I just want to finish this year well, stay in the Premier League and kick on from there.
“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.â€
Capped twice by Belgium at international level, the right-back is known for his marauding runs forward and lightning pace, and last season performed a key role as Leicester City stormed to the Championship title.
This campaign De Laet has again impressed at Premier League level – most notably in back-to-back wins over two former clubs in the form of Stoke City and Manchester United.
De Laet’s career began in northern Belgium with Royal Antwerp, where his fledgling talents were soon spotted by then Championship side Stoke City, with whom he penned a three-year deal in the summer of 2007.
After a short loan at Welsh side Wrexham, De Laet’s potential drew the attentions of Premier League giants Manchester United in 2009, something that eventually led to him signing a three-year deal at Old Trafford.
To aid his development for United, De Laet took in a number of successful loan spells. The first saw him play several games with Sheffield United before joining Darren Ferguson’s Preston North End, where he played in the same side as current City star Matty James.
A spell with Portsmouth in the Championship followed for the defender, before another loan move to then Premier League side Norwich City – with whom he scored his first top-flight goal while playing as a centre back.
Injuries cut short his time with the Canaries, but following a double swoop by Leicester City to bring he and James to King Power Stadium in the summer of 2012, De Laet settled quickly into life as a Fox, helping the team to the Championship Play-Offs in his first season.
In the 2013/14 title-winning campaign De Laet again proved to be a key component of City’s back-four. His goal in the 4-1 home victory over Derby County in January 2014 was a particular highlight, with that game later winning the Club’s Performance of the Season award.
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