Leicester City’s James Justin has opened up about the ‘tough’ first season at the club as he adapted to life in the Premier League. The full-back arrived at the King Power Stadium two years ago, joining from Luton Town after helping his hometown club win promotion to the Championship. Justin was behind Ricardo Pereira in the pecking order at the King Power Stadium, and the 23-year-old mostly made appearances off the bench until the Portuguese international sustained a long-term knee injury. And he has admitted that the step-up to the Premier League from League One was difficult.
James Justin said: “I did find it quite hard initially. It took me a couple of months to get tuned into the way Leicester played and trained. I was training with some of the best players in the world and I had to work hard to adapt to that. I knew I would get there because I had the mindset to succeed, but both mentally and physically it was tough.”
The injury to Ricardo meant that Justin was called upon to step into his shoes at the end of the 2019/20 season and the start of the 2020/21 campaign. Justin stepped up to the plate and was one of City’s top performers, until a knee injury of his own cut his season short.
James Justin added: “My performances definitely went up a gear, but that came with the experience of playing more games. Last season, I played 10 or so league games at the back end of the campaign and they definitely helped mould me into the player I was at the start of this season just gone.”
One of the more memorable moments of the season was Justin’s goal in the FA Cup third-round tie against Stoke City – the start of a successful FA Cup campaign for the club.
James Justin said: “I’m proud to have written my name in Leicester’s history where the FA Cup is concerned, even though I didn’t play in the Final. When I scored that goal in the first round, it was incredible, definitely the best goal of my career so far. You don’t actually realise until you’re in that position quite how much it means to the club, the fans and yourself, and how big the occasion is. I’m so proud to have that winner’s medal, it’s amazing.”
