'Keep Pushing' - Academy Stars Making An Impact In Pre-Season

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'Keep Pushing' - Academy Stars Making An Impact In Pre-Season

Our Academy players have continued to play their own role during our intense pre-season schedule so far.

2025-07-10T09:00+01:00

Working with Andy King.

by Sam Jones

Published

10 Jul, 2025

'Keep Pushing' - Academy Stars Making An Impact In Pre-Season

Our Academy players have continued to play their own role during our intense pre-season schedule so far.

Sam Jones

2025-07-10T09:00+01:00

'Keep Pushing' - Academy Stars Making An Impact In Pre-Season

Our Academy players have continued to play their own role during our intense pre-season schedule so far.

Sam Jones

2025-07-10T09:00+01:00

'Keep Pushing' - Academy Stars Making An Impact In Pre-Season

Our Academy players have continued to play their own role during our intense pre-season schedule so far.

Sam Jones

2025-07-10T09:00+01:00

'Keep Pushing' - Academy Stars Making An Impact In Pre-Season

Our Academy players have continued to play their own role during our intense pre-season schedule so far.

Sam Jones

2025-07-10T09:00+01:00

With our summer now well underway at LCFC Training Ground, it is providing opportunities for a cohort of youngsters to be involved in training and friendlies, as the squad continues to take shape ahead of the new Sky Bet Championship campaign.

Identifying those who have come through the ranks to feature for the First Team during a period of exciting progression within our Academy set-up, Saturday’s victory over Peterborough United saw Jake Evans and Michael Golding both start in Seagrave, alongside more experienced Academy graduates in Jakub Stolarczyk, Ben Nelson, Luke Thomas and Wanya Marçal – all of whom benefitted from loans away from the Club during their development.

As did Will Alves, who, after making his Premier League debut last December, spent the second half of the season at Cardiff City. Netting once, the 20-year-old brings experience of the division back with him to the East Midlands.

Getting up to speed in training.

“I really enjoyed it,” the youngster commented on his loan spell in the Welsh capital. “It was a shame the team ended up going down but to be getting my real first minutes of professional football, in the Championship as well, it was great for me.

“Hopefully I can get many more minutes this season too. I feel like playing under the pressure of being in a battle at the bottom of the Championship, it was just dealing with that pressure but also maturing while I was out there.”

Four years his junior, Evans became a Premier League debutant at just 16 years old last term, earning a total of four appearances from the bench. The forward, capable of playing anywhere across the front three, joined City at Under-9s, and scored a brace to help City win the Under-16s Premier League Cup Final at King Power Stadium in May 2024, showing just how quickly he has developed.

Nineteen-year-old Golding, meanwhile, joined from Chelsea last summer and although injury restricted his First Team involvement to one Premier League appearance, the exciting midfielder – capped by England at several youth levels - will be hoping this can be a breakthrough season.

Speaking to us earlier this week, centre-back Nelson outlined the benefits of being integrated into the First Team set-up, having experienced a similar route through the LCFC pathway.

“I’ve been around it for a few years now and to see so many of them getting their opportunities to play at the weekend, it’s really good for them to showcase themselves ahead of the season,” the defender said.

Collecting his Premier League debut ball alongside Evans.

“All of the young lads did really well. You could see they were buzzing off it. It will do their confidence all the best and it’s just up to them to keep pushing and show more and more in the next games.”

The production line of Academy talent continued to flow in the second half, as Louis Page, a recent Academy Player of the Season, scored twice during his first senior fixture, before Thomas, fresh from his loan spell at Sky Bet League 1 side Wigan Athletic last season, netted the goal of the afternoon to wrap up a 3-1 success.

Jeremy Monga also looked sharp during his involvement, playing for the first time since signing a professional contract and completing his GCSE exams. Some start to the summer for the electric winger, who became the Premier League’s - and our - second youngest-ever debutant when he took to the field for City against Newcastle United at just 15 years and 271 days old.

Commencing last season as part of the Under-18s squad, the Coventry-born forward ended the campaign with seven Premier League appearances under his belt; just the start of what promises to be a successful career.

It was defender Olabade Aluko who provided the assist for Page’s opener at the weekend, after being rewarded with his senior debut against Bournemouth on the final day of last season. He wasn’t the only one having an impact at both ends of the pitch, either, with the versatile Jayden Joseph also impressing from the left.

Carrying a plethora of talent across the age groups, and several others knocking on the door, there’s no doubt more to come from the glimpses of potential we’ve seen.

You can watch this Saturday's friendly against OH Leuven live on YouTube and Foxes Hub, with tickets remaining available for our clash with Fiorentina at King Power Stadium on Sunday 3 August.

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