Two Leicester City stars watched by England staff for Gareth Southgate
By Will Kennedy
It’s always an exciting time when the England squad is announced, with Leicester City fans hoping their players have earned a spot in representing their country. Whilst Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad doesn’t feature any Foxes stars this time around, there has still been some exciting developments over the prospect of two future England internationals over on Filbert Way.
Leicester‘s struggles this season is undoubtably the reason why no-one features in Southgate’s latest squad – key players have been inconsistent with their form as the Foxes have failed to build up any real momentum of late. However, their recent turn in form could see some players demand a place in the international setup.
Two players that Southgate has been keeping tabs on are young defenders James Justin and Luke Thomas. Justin’s is a name that won’t come as a surprise to many, the versatile full-back was on Southgate’s radar in 2020 and was destined for a senior international call-up, until a cruel ACL injury saw him miss almost a year of football. Now, Justin building back up to his best, making 7 appearances for Leicester since his return.
JJ was arguably the player of the 2020/21 season until his injury and, at only 24, he has plenty of time ahead of him to get back into contention for England. If he can get back to the level he was playing at, I don’t see how Southgate (or any future England manager) could leave him out of their future squads. The rest of this season will be about getting up to full fitness for Justin, ahead of the 2022 Qatar World Cup in December.