One of Enzo Maresca's biggest Leicester City achievements involves Wilfried Ndidi: View | OneFootball

The likes of James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes all departed the club after Leicester's relegation but one player who stayed to help Leicester's promotion bid was midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.

The Nigerian has become an integral part of Enzo Maresca's squad, evolving his game in the process.

Traditionally a holding midfielder and famed for his ability to win back the ball, Ndidi has pushed on into a more advanced midfield role under Maresca and Leicester have reaped the benefits.

With 12 combined goals and assists this season, Ndidi is enjoying his most productive season to date in front of goal, showcasing a side to his game few knew existed.

Ndidi has returned to form at just the right time, with the 27-year-old scoring in back-to-back games against West Brom and Southampton.

After losses to Millwall and Plymouth threatened to derail Leicester's promotion bid, they have firmly taken back control of their own destiny thanks in no small part to Ndidi's goals.

Interest in the midfielder will be substantial this summer, especially if Leicester fail to earn promotion, and clubs will have been impressed by his ability to take to a new role so seamlessly.

Ndidi's contract expires in June, whilst financial breaches have left Leicester needing to offload players in order to balance the books.

This means the Foxes may be resigned to losing an asset once valued at more than £50m just two years ago on a free transfer.

New role bringing the best out of Ndidi

With Harry Winks arriving from Tottenham last summer, Ndidi knew he faced competition at the base of midfield.

Maresca, though, already had a plan for the Nigerian. With Leicester looking to dominate possession and play through teams, Ndidi's relentlessness out of possession, tracking runners and turning the ball over, would've been wasted in Maresca's system. So the Italian manager sought to use the midfielder in a different way.

By leaning on Ndidi's energy and awareness of space, Maresca instructed the former Genk man to use these traits further up the pitch, making late runs into the box and being alert to the movement of his teammates.

This tactical tweak has seen Ndidi's attacking contributions increase markedly and his influence on the team can be illustrated by the fact that six of Leicester's 10 league defeats this season have come when he's not been in the side.

Ndidi on the radar of Premier League clubs

Leicester have won the Championship and secured automatic promotion back to the Premier League but that doesn't necessarily guarantee that the midfielder will be part of their squad next term.

Ndidi is drawing attention from Premier League clubs and reports suggest that the Foxes have a job on their hands to balance the books despite the financial boost that promotion will bring.

The Nigerian international's contract situation means he is likely to have plenty of offers on the table, many of which will be from more established top flight clubs that can offer a more significant wage package.

With more than six years of Premier League experience and still just 27, Ndidi is in his prime years and it would not be a huge surprise to see him leave the King Power Stadium.

What Maresca has done to unlock a new part of his game has been hugely impressive and that could help Leicester keep hold of the in-demand player. Even if it doesn't, it has been one of the coach's more impressive feats this term.