Friday 2 December 2016 13:08, UK
Leicester City captain Wes Morgan has not even considered his side being relegated from the Premier League this season.
It is seven months since Leicester were confirmed as champions, but the club's defence of their title has not gone according to plan.
Heading into Saturday afternoon's clash at bottom-of-the-table Sunderland, Claudio Ranieri's side lie 14th in the table, just two points above the drop zone after only three wins all campaign.
All of which is in stark contrast to this time last year, when the Foxes were causing more than a few raised eyebrows across the country after sitting joint top of the table alongside Manchester City on their way to the most unlikeliest of Premier League title triumphs.
However, the Foxes skipper is unconcerned about his team's current league position and is confident they are close to turning things around.
"The thought [of being relegated] had not entered my mind," Morgan said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News.
"I know we are almost where we would like to be with our performances on the pitch and we need to find that form and I am sure once we get that win, we will pick up another one and we will start finding some momentum again.
"It is relatively early days, we are just over a third of the way through the season I think, there are plenty of points and time to go. We just remain positive and I am sure things will turn around.
So far in our journey in the Premier League we've avoided relegation against all odds, then we've gone on to win the league, so anything is possible
"We're not at the right end of the table, that's for sure, but we have to keep going. I'm sure our luck will change at some point and we'll turn it around."
Morgan points to Leicester's equally remarkable escape from relegation under previous manager Nigel Pearson the season before they were crowned champions as proof he and his team-mates can achieve anything.
"So far in our journey in the Premier League, we've avoided relegation against all odds, then we've gone on to win the league, so anything is possible," he said.
"We know what we're capable of so we just need to believe in ourselves and start improving our performances and the results."
And that means beating fellow strugglers Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this weekend.
"It's never an easy game," said Morgan of the trip to Wearside. "The fans and the atmosphere is always intense, so we have to be prepared for that. We want to turn things around and this game's a big game for us and we definitely need a win."
One man Leicester will be looking to in order to help propel them up the table is Jamie Vardy, whose tally of just two Premier League goals this season is way down on the previous campaign, when the England international was on target 24 times.
Morgan, though, is confident the striker's form in front of goal will soon return.
"He's always the loudest one in the changing room and always the one doing the pranks," he said. "In terms of in front of goal, he's not scored the goals he and the team would have wanted, but I think it's just a matter of time before he turns that around and finds the net again."
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