We Showed The Right Mentality, Says Choudhury

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We Showed The Right Mentality, Says Choudhury

Hamza Choudhury was pleased to come out the other side unscathed following his first match minutes of the summer schedule.

2025-07-15T09:23+01:00

by Sam Jones

Published

15 Jul, 2025

We Showed The Right Mentality, Says Choudhury

Hamza Choudhury was pleased to come out the other side unscathed following his first match minutes of the summer schedule.

Sam Jones

2025-07-15T09:23+01:00

We Showed The Right Mentality, Says Choudhury

Hamza Choudhury was pleased to come out the other side unscathed following his first match minutes of the summer schedule.

Sam Jones

2025-07-15T09:23+01:00

We Showed The Right Mentality, Says Choudhury

Hamza Choudhury was pleased to come out the other side unscathed following his first match minutes of the summer schedule.

Sam Jones

2025-07-15T09:23+01:00

We Showed The Right Mentality, Says Choudhury

Hamza Choudhury was pleased to come out the other side unscathed following his first match minutes of the summer schedule.

Sam Jones

2025-07-15T09:23+01:00

Hamza Choudhury was one of 32 City players to get minutes in the legs during Saturday’s friendly
It was his first game since returning for pre-season, playing an hour at LCFC Training Ground
The Foxes beat OH Leuven 2-1 during the extended workout, which was hugely beneficial, according to the midfielder

Battling through an intense 60-minute workout against Belgian Pro League side OH Leuven in the scorching heat of Seagrave, the extended pre-season exercise, which was played in four periods of 45 minutes, finished 2-1 to City courtesy of an own goal and Jordan Ayew netting direct from a corner.

A tough test designed to get everyone up to speed, the midfielder was part of the third XI to take to the pitch at LCFC Training Ground, having returned from national team duty and a high tempo to the game made it to a beneficial runout for all 32 players involved.

“I think it’s what you look for in pre-season,” the Bangladesh international explained post-match on Saturday. “Everyone goes away for warm weather training and luckily, we’ve got that here!

“I got a lot [out of it]. I’ve been back in pre-season a week and you usually build up for 10 days before you even go into an 11-v-11, but to get an hour in the legs is massive. You just feel so much stronger, so much fitter.

“It’s credit to the lads and the attitude they showed. We had the last 60 minutes and showed the right mentality, especially the lads at the end. Everyone worked just as hard, but to keep concentrated and playing this way, it’s difficult, but we got it in.

“The first few days, you are playing catch up because the lads have already been in. Your heart rate is through the roof in the first session because you are trying to find your legs. No matter how much running you are doing, you can’t mirror the possessions and the games.

“With stuff like this, it starts evening out the playing field and everyone is catching up. We’ve got a few of the other international boys coming back in so next week everyone is going to be competing for the starting positions.

“You can train for four or five weeks but as soon as you go into a game, it’s a different kettle of fish. To get it in this early is good and hopefully I can build on it next week.”

Captaining the side in Seagrave.

Back in with the group over the past week, having spent the second half of last season out on loan at Sheffield United, Choudhury also referenced the importance of a close team spirit as the squad continues to gel and find their feet during pre-season, starting with a clean slate ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

“The lads have really come back in refreshed,” the 27-year-old continued. “Obviously, I wasn’t here for the back end of last season but from what I’ve heard, it feels like a completely different changing room. Last year was really tough, being in the relegation scrap.

“It sounds easy to keep going and get your head round it because you’re doing what you love but it’s not once you get into those periods. Credit to the boys again that everyone has been right at it, you can see that.

“If you look throughout history and the most successful clubs, they will all probably be the closest off the pitch. It’s something that I say all the time when people ask me about Leicester, it feels like a family where everyone is willing to fight for each other.

“That’s what the city is built on and what the Club is built around with the success that we’ve had in the last few years, it’s been that. When you look inside the changing room, everyone is super close and spends time together off the pitch.

“For me, that’s the biggest, to be able to trust the person you are playing next to is going to work just as hard as you and play the badge.

“We’re going to need it this year, it’s 46 games and it’s probably the toughest the Championship has been for a few years if you look at the teams in there and what teams are spending in the transfer window. But the lads look really good in there.”

Tickets remain on sale for our final pre-season friendly against Fiorentina on Sunday 3 August, a 3pm BST kick-off at King Power Stadium.

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