Why Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is the future Leicester captain

It wasn’t to be that night, and the Foxes slipped into Europe’s third-tier competition, the Europa Conference League. It was in this tournament that Dewsbury-Hall was expected to play most of his football in the second half of the season, but the indelible mark he left on the side with his tirelessness and perseverance meant Brendan Rodgers trusted him to be the engine room of the midfield across all competitions.

Work ethic and determination can only take one so far however, but the ability must be there to cement a regular EPL starting berth. Dewsbury-Hall’s game has advanced rapidly in the five months since becoming a first-team regular, with his positional and technical nous allowing him to receive the ball in tight areas and suddenly emerge in multiple yards of space. Not only that, but his passing ability has become more proficient, both at spraying cross-field balls and linking up well with his left-back and left midfielder.

The rate of progression is bound to plateau at some point, so it’s not feasible to suggest Dewsbury-Hall is going to be a world-beater in two years’ time. However, it’s not unreasonable for him to be touted as a future City captain if his game continues to improve at even half the rate it has since 2020. He’s a fan favourite, and rightly so.

It speaks volumes that a player who came into the first-team fold as late as December was being spoken about in Player of the Season terms, and it’s more than just his technical ability that has won the Foxes faithful over. Of course, the local lad aspect helps, but Dewsbury-Hall’s professional attitude and commitment to the cause will continue to endear him to the club’s supporters for years to come.