Leicester City are preparing for life back in the Championship.
Leicester are nine points off safety and are near certain to suffer relegation come May, barring a repeat of the 2014/15 great escape.
Ruud van Nistelrooy and club chiefs will already have one eye on the summer transfer window and planning their squad for the second tier.
Many of their current first-teamers will have to leave and Jamie Vardy’s future is under doubt as he approaches the end of his contract.
City will have to utilise their academy next term and speaking in February 2024, Enzo Maresca has already revealed who the next academy graduate will be.
- READ MORE: If Leicester City sack Ruud van Nistelrooy, here are the three managers Khun Top could consider
Enzo Maresca tipped Ben Nelson to be future first-teamer
Speaking in February 2024, Enzo Maresca hailed Leicester’s Ben Nelson and described him as the ‘ideal’ defender.
“He’s quick. He can play right or left — it’s perfect,” Maresca told The Athletic.
“The only thing that he needs to improve and understand more is that he is a bit shy on the ball. Against Birmingham, he could play forward many times. We showed him after the game, the day after, many clips of when he can play forward, but he’s young and sometimes, they prefer to play it easy and safe.
“Also, when he played a few minutes against Swansea, he touched the ball three or four times and two of them, he could (have) driven forward or played forward. So he has many things to improve but for sure, in terms of being an ideal central defender, he is probably the ideal one because he’s quick, can play right or left, and he is big. He is good.”
Ben Nelson will be Leicester’s next academy graduate
Judging from his comments, it’s clear Maresca believes Nelson has the talent to be the future of Leicester’s defence and the next academy graduate for the club.
The 21-year-old has already played a handful of games for the first team, but he is yet to really make his mark.
Nelson is currently on loan at Championship outfit Oxford United and by all accounts, he’s really impressed.
In fact, Oxford fans believe he’s one of the best to ever wear the shirt, with some tipping him to be the next John Stones.
So, quite clearly, Nelson simply has to be City’s starting centre-back next season.