Plenty of positives to take from Leicester City’s pre-season opener

After a dominant first half display, Leicester City cruised to a 1-0 victory in their first pre-season fixture of the summer.

The Foxes’ preparation for the upcoming season began at recently relegated Scunthorpe United. Paul Hurst’s side were a well-organised unit, who provided City with a worthy runaround, as the squad seeks to build their match fitness.

With 69% of the possession belonging to Leicester and 733 completed passes, Brendan Rodgers’ side produced plenty of glossy football, much to the delight of their supporters.

Although, the Northern Irishman understandably demanded more goals from his squad in future, while noting the importance of obtaining match sharpness:

"“That was a good exercise for fitness. These types of games are important for us and it’s just the players getting the geography of the pitch again, getting the space in.”“Of course, as they gain more fitness, they’ll become that bit sharper in their pressing and chances. I thought, in particular during the first half, we created good chances.”“We showed real quality considering it is this early on in pre-season so I’m very pleased because it’s very early and there’s a lot of work to do.”“We have to score more goals… if we want to progress, we have to get more goals into the team, hence the idea of bringing someone like [Ayoze Pérez] in.”Via LCFC.com"

Speaking of City’s new Spaniard, Perez immediately vindicated the decision to snap him up from Newcastle, exemplified by his well-taken finish around half an hour into the match. Similar to fellow recent recruit, James Justin, the 25-year-old has settled into his new side with apparent ease.

The compatibility of both Justin and Perez with their new teammates is a testament to Leicester’s often excellent recruitment.

Academy products shine in Scunthorpe

The likes of Josh Knight, Admiral Muskwe and, in particular, Thakgalo Leshabela, were impressive for the first team. Leshabela, a South African youth international, was given a place amongst a well-experienced starting XI, which included the likes of Marc Albrighton, Jamie Vardy and Ricardo Pereira.

The 19-year-old was seemingly unfazed by this, showcasing his excellent technique in the middle of the park for City. It certainly could be an exciting season for the youngster, who will look to emulate the breakthrough success of Hamza Choudhury and Ben Chilwell.

The ‘Slab-head’ sized elephant in the room

Despite misleading reports that Harry Maguire would be undertaking a medical with Manchester United, the England international registered a decent 45 minutes to begin his pre-season with Leicester.

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It was a statement from City to include Maguire in their squad last night, as they left out Chilwell, who also appeared at the Nations League Finals back in June. The appearance of ‘Slab-head’ in Leicester blue serves as a reminder that the club do not need to sell for any less than their world record valuation.

Time will only tell if Manchester United will make a bid even worth considering but, for now, the 26-year-old remains a Fox.