Watch Leicester vs Arsenal live on Saturday Night Football from 5pm on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event; Kick-off 5.30pm
Tuesday 5 November 2019 16:46, UK
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers says Jose Mourinho "made a huge impact" on his career when he was at Chelsea as a youth coach.
Rodgers was brought to Chelsea from Reading during Mourinho's first stint at the club, before making the step up into professional management.
Since leaving Chelsea, Rodgers has taken charge of Reading, Swansea, Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester, winning seven trophies over 11 years.
"I think Jose made a huge impression on me when I went to Chelsea," Rodgers told Sky Sports News.
"Along my journey I've had a lot of mentors. At Reading, Alan Pardew was great for me as a young coach.
"Then when I went to Chelsea, Jose made a huge impact around the preparation.
"That first spell when he was there he had great charisma but he could manage that really well between the management, the coaching side and the detail of his work.
"We were never totally aligned in terms the way we'd seen the game but we had lots of similarities.
"We liked to communicate well with players and people, we were both ambitious - wanted to do well - and we always wanted to ensure our work had quality. He was a big reference for me."
Rodgers has worked in dressing rooms alongside Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, both of whom have gone on to become managers in recent years.
Asked if he has any players in his Leicester squad capable of making that step, Rodgers added: "Youri Tielemans, for a young guy, I would not be surprised if in 20 years he is managing somewhere.
"Just with his view and he's also very interested in that side of it. Jamie Vardy wouldn't surprise me because he's very tactical.
"But for all of these players, it is a totally different game, there's a lot of work that goes into becoming a coach and then a manager."
Watch Leicester vs Arsenal live on Saturday Night Football from 5pm on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event; Kick-off 5.30pm.
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Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Highlights will be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
