Thomas names his leadership group

Thomas Frank has named his leadership group for the 2025/26 season.

Joining club captain Cristian Romero are Ben Davies, James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Micky van de Ven.

Our Head Coach, Thomas, said: "All five players have leadership qualities and, crucially, the potential to become even better leaders.

"They have the ability to speak up on the pitch, in the dressing room and in meetings, however, it's not just about football, it's about people, too.

"They are aware of their team-mates, how to make the group function in a good way and how to make the team tick, both on and off the pitch.

"It's important that the whole dressing room is represented in this leadership group, and Cuti, Ben, Madders, Vic and Micky do that.

"While these five players make up the official leadership group, we have a dressing room that is full of leadership potential and I'm looking forward to more players stepping up in matches and around the Training Centre."

World Cup winner ‘Cuti’ was named captain by Thomas at the start of this season, taking over from Heung-Min Son. The centre-back joined us from Atalanta in the summer of 2021, having just been named 'Best Defender' in Serie A in 2020/21. He was outstanding in our UEFA Europa League triumph last season and led the team out in the final in Bilbao in May. He's now up to 132 appearances for us in all competitions.

Our longest-serving player, Ben has racked up 358 appearances in all competitions since joining us in the summer of 2014. Captain of Wales, he sits second in our all-time European appearances on 73 and has regularly worn the armband over his 10-plus years of service.

Playmaker 'Madders' joined us for the start of the 2023/24 campaign. A key player in the latter stages of our run to Europa League glory last season, James missed the final due to a knee injury, then suffered another setback, this time an anterior cruciate ligament injury during pre-season. A huge influence on and off the field, he has made 75 appearances for us and has already worn the captain's armband.

Goalkeeper 'Vic' also played a huge role in our Europa League triumph last season, making a huge save late in the final as we led 1-0 in Bilbao. Joining us in 2023, his form has seen him capped four times by Italy. Vic has also previously captained the team and he's up to 83 appearances for us in all competitions.

Micky led the team out for the first time in our UEFA Champions League draw against Bodo/Glimt this week - marking that honour with his first Champions League goal as we came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 in Norway. Renowned for his pace, he will always be remembered for a spectacular overhead clearance to deny United in the Europa League final. A full Netherlands international, Micky also joined us at the start of 2023/24 and now has 60 appearances to his name.