Local Leicester City hero Luke Thomas is already an FA cup winner and barely in his twenties, 2020/2021 went well, but 2021/2022 could be even better.
Luke Thomas, Leicester City statistics
Appearances total: – 25/ Premier League –14 / FA Cup – 3 / Europa League – 7 / EFL Cup – 1
Goals total: – 2
Moment to savour: – An incredible volley at Old Trafford to open his Premier League account
Moment to forget: – Hauled off at halftime in a poor first half against Fulham
After being thrust into the first team at the end of the ever-lasting 2019/2020 season, Luke Thomas progressed his career even further into this season. Having been barely used till late October, it seemed that he may be more in the background with a loan move the next logical step for his development.
45 minutes in the away win at AEK Athens signalled a change in his appearance levels with him going on to be an ever-present in the Europa League. This competition brought much joy to Thomas, in the picturesque surroundings of Braga’s stadium in December, he latched onto a James Maddison cross to notch his first-ever senior goal.
The next week, he gave a fantastic performance in a thrown together team at Elland Road that swept Leeds United aside with ease. The next couple of Premier League games that he featured, Brendan Rodgers subbed him at half time from his left midfield spot.
One of these half time hooks was following a disastrous performance at home to Fulham leading to Leicester City being 2-0 down at half time. Following this performance, Thomas featured in only one of the next thirteen Premier League games. Rodgers likely believing that he still needed to bed the young Syston player in before entrusting him with a lengthy run.
As Thomas started to appear more regularly in the FA Cup and in Europe he ended up being more of a prominent feature and was used in all of the last eight Premier League games, starting in six. This was as much down to the terrible injury afforded to James Justin, and potentially with the knowledge of Christian Fuchs departure likely in the managers mind.
However, Thomas grasped the opportunity: looking far more assured in his positional sense and defensive duties. His good form couldn’t have been better timed. At Old Trafford he latched onto a Youri Tielemans cross with one of the finest left-foot volleys to ever grace the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ (shame the Old Trafford faithful didn’t get to enjoy it).
This goal and result led to Thomas’ selection in the FA Cup final and as luck would have it, he played the key pass through to Youri Tielemans to score that memorable winning goal. At the tender age of 20, Thomas became an FA cup winner and a part of Leicester City history.
What comes across with Thomas immediately when watching him play, is his healthy levels of aggression. A must for any young player ensuring they aren’t being bullied by more experienced heads. His desire to be part of the attacking play is a prominent feature that we will no doubt see more of as he develops.
Defensively he still needs time though as he understands the areas of the pitch to occupy when sniffing out danger. After being mentored by Christian Fuchs he will now get to benefit from the experienced left-back Ryan Bertrand and all that his talent brings. The future looks bright for this local LCFC hero and another season of progression beckons.
Rating: 7/10
Chances of leaving: 0%
The Future: Another season of development where he is relied upon more and more in the demanding wide roles.
Damon Carter’s Leicester player reviews will continue with Ayoze Perez, you can read other editions of the series by clicking on this link.