Shay Given was left stunned as Leicester star Conor Coady was asked whether he would feel sympathy for Leeds United if they failed in their promotion bid this season.
Neither Coady nor Given could believe the question as they laughed in response, but Coady went on to share his admiration for the teams around Leicester setting an “unbelievable” pace.
This comes after Daniel Farke’s side leapfrogged the Foxes to the top of the Championship despite a 17-point gap at the start of the year, albeit with one more game played.
Speaking on BBC Sport’s The Monday Night Club, Rory Smith asked whether he would have sympathy for Southampton and Leeds if they failed to achieve promotion this season, leading Given to throw his arms up in disbelief.
Coady laughed as he shared: “No, I wouldn’t. I think the Championship this year has been incredible. The pace that’s been set by the teams towards the top is unbelievable, I don’t think it’s been seen before. We just need to get the job done.”
The Championship promotion fight remains tight for Leeds United
Despite having moved into first place, Leeds know they still have a fight on their hands if they want to win automatic promotion from the Championship, or perhaps even the title, given the standard set by Leicester, Southampton and Ipswich.
Ally McCoist was equally stunned by the state of play at the top of the Championship as he insisted the promotion places are still wide open for the competing clubs to take advantage after it looked like Leicester had already won it.
Former Leeds boss Paul Heckingbottom recently backed his former club to go all the way with Leicester in their bid for promotion but also admitted Ipswich would be among the contenders given their perceived overachievement.
Going into the final stretch of the season after the international break, all four of the top teams will know they stand a chance of making the automatic promotion, and two will have to enter the playoffs. Who that will be will be decided on the pitch.
