Leicester squad firmly united as they battle for survival, says Dean Smith

Dean Smith remains resolute in his belief that the Leicester squad is firmly united as they battle for survival.

The Foxes go to Newcastle on Monday two points from safety ahead of the weekend's Premier League games.

If Everton beat Wolves and Nottingham Forest avoid defeat against Arsenal on Saturday, Leicester will need to win at St James' Park or they will go down.

But Smith has no doubts over the unity in the dressing room as the Foxes battle on.

He said: "I have seen that. From the moment I came in, when I addressed them, their feedback, what they give.

"They're not all going to be bosom buddies but that's not been the case at any club I've been at, where the players have all been friends.

"But what you have to be is the best team-mate you can. They're disappointed because of where they are in the league but they're united."

Smith has won one of his six games since replacing Brendan Rodgers last month but Monday's 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool - two years to the day since they won the FA Cup - left the Foxes on the brink of the drop.

Defeats to Aston Villa and Bournemouth before Smith arrived damaged their survival hopes in April but the boss feels his players have improved, despite individual errors costing them.

"I don't think it's been like the Bournemouth game (a 1-0 defeat). I watched it on TV and it looked like players had lost confidence, lost belief, looked lethargic," he said.

"I don't think we've had that since I've been here. I haven't seen that. I haven't seen lethargy in performances. I've seen players working hard but probably the thing we haven't erased as much as we'd like is the individual mistakes."

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