Leicester belong in the Premier League - Cifuentes

Leicester have won and kept a clean sheet in their past two matches

Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes has called for patience from fans as he attempts to get the club back to the Premier League in a "sustainable" way.

The Foxes have been relegated to the Championship twice in the past three seasons and Cifuentes, who arrived on a three-year deal in July, says supporters can expect a "fantastic journey" if he is given time.

"We're in a results business and that's the way it is," Cifuentes told BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast.

"A big club like Leicester should be, as soon as possible, back in the Premier League - because that's where this club belongs.

"We need to do it in a way that is sustainable. Most important, for me, is creating an identity - not just in the way we play football, but how we build a sustainable club that has academy players coming through the system that can give us the edge.

"What kind of players do we recruit? Can we make the King Power [Stadium] a real fortress, so that we know - even in the Premier League - it's going to be a difficult place for teams to come to and get points?

"I'm a big believer in the process and the journey, and I'm enjoying it a lot."

City have won three of their first four league matches after a summer of wholesale squad changes, with only Ipswich Town keeping more possession on average than Cifuentes' side as the 43-year-old seeks to establish a "Leicester style".

"On this rebuild, we wanted to find the right personalities - players who wanted to play for a club like this and accept the pressure of playing for Leicester in the Championship," he said.

"I don't want to take credit because I am not the one tackling or running. Credit to the players, because they are showing they care.

"That is a reflection of the club: we have an owner who cares and is investing money and trying his best to make sure we get back to where we want to be.

"I'm just a small piece in the puzzle and trying to help the players. The game belongs to the players. No-one pays for a ticket to watch the manager.

"I would love to one day coach in the Premier League but I'm not obsessed about it. I want to make sure we create something for this club."

One of the early highlights of Cifuentes' early tenure has been Jeremy Monga's record-breaking goal at Preston North End, making the England youth winger the youngest scorer in Championship history at 16 years and 37 days old.

Cifuentes sees Monga as an example of the balance between managing expectations and enjoying immediate results.

"It might take some time until we see Jeremy Monga playing his best football because he only turned 16 [in July]," said the Spaniard.

"Sometimes we want instant success but there is a process to achieving things. If the fans understand this, it will be a fantastic journey together.

"On the day I leave - whether it's in two years, 10 years, whatever it is - I want us to feel it was a journey that was worth it."