Brendan Rodgers
Talented Leicester City youngsters will be handed the chance to make their name on Wednesday night with manager Brendan Rodgers turning to the club’s development squad to boost his side for the FA Cup tie against Brighton. Rodgers has confirmed the involvement of Under-23s starlets as City look to earn a place in the quarter-finals of the game’s oldest competition, and left-back Luke Thomas is proof that a good performance could help them become a fully-fledged member of the first-team squad. The Syston-born teenager took his chance when included for the final three games of last season and is a “great reference” for any potential debutants on Wednesday night. Still, Rodgers won’t be telling them it is their only chance to impress as he won’t want to put pressure on them.
Brendan Rodgers said: “I’m going to take the opportunity to look at one or two of our talented young players that have been working with us. We have a group of young players who have been training with us. And like what I’ve always tried to do, when I feel it’s the right moment for them to go in, I’ll give them the opportunity. With young players, you never know until you put them. They’ll feel confidence from myself going into the game, that’s why you play them. Going into the game, it’s about taking that fear away from them, so they don’t have to force it. It’s not one where I say to players: ‘You’ve got to take this chance, this might be your only chance.’ If that’s the case then you don’t have a real belief in them and the process. You don’t want them to force it, you just want them to go out and play with enthusiasm and play their natural game all within the structure. They will have to have a certain profile to play in our team, and then it’s all about being a working talent. It’s giving them the confidence initially to play, and then telling them to try not to worry.‘You will have nerves and nerves are good for you. Play your natural game and know that you will make mistakes in the game, but get on with it and do your very best. (Thomas) is a great example. He came to the fore in training. When he came into the first-team environment, you could tell straight away he had the personality, he had the composure, he had quality, he needs to get physically better but that’s just going to be time. He’s a great reference for them. If you come into the first team and you show up in training and you have the personality as well as the quality, there is a manager and a coaching staff here that will look to throw you in. For a young player, that’s what you want. You want the opportunity and that’s what we’ll always do here.”
