Only two weeks ago, Leicester City fans – and myself – were anticipating an England call-up for James Justin ahead of Euro 2020. But is he the only Foxes full-back who has a future at international level?
To say the 22-year-old was even in contention was a testament to the season he was having, but after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury versus Brighton & Hove Albion, it seems Justin will be side-lined for at least the remainder of the season. With that, his chance to perform for Gareth Southgate’s side also removed.
Leicester City also find themselves with minor injuries in the full-back department alongside Justin’s long-term setback. After featuring in the tail-end of last campaign (mainly in “Project Restart”) and a couple of UEFA Europa League games, Luke Thomas has been given some added responsibilities in the absence of the first-team options.
In the two games he’s replaced Justin in, I’ve personally given the 19-year-old “Man of The Match”, with his involvements massively aiding the win against Aston Villa this weekend, and his defensive discipline key to neutralising SK Slavia’s Prague’s most dangerous threat. I’d suggest the calls for an England call-up are premature, he’s yet to feature for the U21’s, but I think that opportunity could arise if he continues in this manner.
Statistically, Thomas shows up very well for a full-back inside the goal-creating department. When compared with Europe’s top five leagues (Premier League, Ligue 1, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Serie A), Thomas’ assists per 90 rank him inside the top 18% for full-backs (with 0.17). The Syston-born left-back also ranks highly for “non-penalty goals” and “npxG” (non-penalty expected goals) with 0.08 & 0.07 p/90 respectively – placing him in the top 19% and 21% of all full-backs.
I do think his infrequent game time is a boost for this, as more minutes in the tank will probably lower these values. But, it’s a clear indication of his qualities in the final third – something I feel he’s very good at. Lastly, his “shot-creating actions” per 90 are also impressive – 2.09 – ranking him in the top 28%. I’ve only highlighted the metrics he does well in (in an attacking sense).
Thomas’ abilities lie within his attacking third involvements and defensive assurance. I think the middle third (possession-orientated) is an area that needs work, and will probably rule him out of an England squad reliant on ball retention. Brendan Rodgers has slightly alluded to the 19-year-old’s frailties in this department by inverting him – giving an earlier passing lane to Harvey Barnes – seemingly bypassing the youngster.
For all the passing-based metrics, Thomas ranks highest in “progressive passes received” per 90, with 2.59 – placing him in the top 46%. Outside of that, he’s performing to the average of top 70% of full-backs, which isn’t damming for a player of his age/experience, but to find a space in the congested England squad he’ll need to be exceptional – and he’s not there yet.
Defensively, there’s a couple of metrics that Thomas does perform very well in – pressures and blocks. This definitely matches the eye-test, as his defensive style is to play touch-tight to his forward giving them no space to play (hence the high pressures numbers) – his 14.29 per 90 ranks him in the top 22%. For blocks, the perfect case study was in the Aston Villa game, as Thomas’ recovery to stop an inevitable goal from Bertrand Traoré was down to his impeccably timed block. Averaging 2.34 per 90, he’s ranked in the top 27%.
An interesting caveat is that Thomas’ style is similarly compared with Sergio Reguilón of Tottenham Hotspur. An aggressive, quick transitional full-back that offers good quality in-and-around the opposition box – something I feel Thomas emulates. Timothy Castagne is also considered somewhat of a stylistic match, although his assurance in possession (particularly in the middle third) is a side of the game that Leicester’s academy graduate needs to work on.
Overall, Thomas is definitely an exciting youth product, which has once again come through the Leicester City academy. If he can maintain the performance levels of his previous few games, he’ll be of interest to the England U21 setup – there’s no doubt about that. But, to be picked ahead of Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw, Bukayo Saka (although I’d utilise him higher up), and Aaron Cresswell would be harsh to any of those individuals – in the future? There’s definitely a possibility.