5 Leicester City Players Who Could Break Through in 2020
By Tom Gott
Leicester City are a purist's dream. They are a young side who play some enthralling football, and they win a whole load of games doing so.
With that penchant for playing young players, the Foxes take pride in bolstering their academy to try and cook up a fresh batch of future stars, and there are several youngsters on their books right now who stand a good chance of featuring for the first team in 2020.
Here are five players who could make their breakthrough in the next 12 months.
Admiral Muskwe
Jamie Vardy has been stealing the goalscoring headlines for Leicester's senior side, but one man doing so at academy level is 21-year-old Zimbabwean striker Admiral Muskwe.
A former Academy Player of the Year winner, Muskwe is a towering forward who earned himself a place in Brendan Rodgers' pre-season squad last summer. The boss knows who Muskwe is, and will certainly have been impressed after seeing him lead the Under-23 scoring charts.
Having earned a full international cap for his country, he already has experience playing at senior level and could allow Rodgers to give Vardy a rest every once in a while.
George Hirst
Muskwe's partner in crime, 20-year-old striker George Hirst has been just as impressive this year, proving why he has been viewed as a potential star for many years now.
The son of former Sheffield Wednesday star David Hirst, George was part of Rodgers' pre-season squad as well, and the boss surely will have been keeping an eye on the young striker's development this year.
As a club who pride themselves on bringing through young players, Hirst looks like he could be the next off the production line.
George Thomas
An inconsistent loan spell with Scunthorpe United last season had many people doubting winger George Thomas' ability, but the 22-year-old has been back to his best with the academy side this season.
Having picked up three senior caps for Wales, Thomas comes with some high-level experience, and it looks like he might just need a manager like Rodgers to help hone his skills and take him to the next level.
He certainly has a lot of work to do to force his way into Rodgers' plans, but he is the kind of player who might be able to keep himself in the first-team squad if a chance arrives.
James Justin
Right-back James Justin joined Leicester during the summer for a fee of around £8m, so him earning a spot in the first team would hardly be 'breaking through'. However, we have barely seen the 21-year-old.
With Ricardo Pereira and Ben Chilwell excelling at full-back, Justin has been made to wait patiently on the bench. Should either of the in-demand pairing find themselves moving away from the King Power Stadium, a spot for Justin could open up.
Let's not forget, Justin was one of English football's most exciting young defenders last season. He was electric for Luton Town, and he just needs a chance to prove he can do it at the highest level.
Khanya Leshabela
Perhaps the most exciting prospect in the Leicester academy is 20-year-old South African midfielder Khanya Leshabela. Comfortable as a winger or in a more central role, Leshabela was tipped to make a breakthrough under Claude Puel, but the opportunity never came.
He was singled out for praise by Rodgers during pre-season, but has found the unenviable task of displacing either Youri Tielemans or James Maddison fairly difficult this year, which is pretty understandable.
Leshabela may need just one opportunity, and you can guarantee that Rodgers will be eager to hand him one in the near future.