Former Leicester City striker Jermaine Beckford has named the one Leicester City player that he thinks can go on to have a big future.
Leicester were beaten by Manchester United in the FA Cup on Friday night as Ruud van Nistelrooy fumed over Harry Maguire’s winner.
Replays showed that Maguire was offside before his stoppage time winner, however, after a strong first half performance, they couldn’t make their dominance count.
Wilfred Ndidi was praised by Leicester fans after impressing on his return to the side after a spell out injured but for Beckford, there was one other player who starred.
Bilal El Khannouss impresses for Leicester in Man United defeat
Once again, Bilal El Khannouss caught the eye for Leicester at Old Trafford.
El Khannouss has been one of Leicester’s best players this season and the Morocco international is one of the Foxes’ best hopes of staying in the Premier League.
The 20-year-old looks like a leader already and Beckford “enjoyed his arrogance” despite citing one area that he could improve on.
Speaking to the When You’re Smiling Podcast, Beckford said: “El Khannouss was brilliant, I really enjoyed his performance. I like his arrogance – every time he got on the ball he tried to make things happen and be forward-thinking.
“I want to see more from him, a bit more energy. Run a little bit harder and close players down. When you pick the ball up, be a bit more like Jordan Ayew; pick the ball up and be direct.
“I saw enough of him today to think that this kid could be something special.”
Bilal El Khannouss stats vs Man United
The attacking midfielder was at the centre of anything Leicester created at Old Trafford.
His ability to take the ball and carry it forward, shrugging off attempts to be tackled by the United side and
| Bilal El Khannouss Stats | |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Touches | 78 |
| Accurate passes | 43/52 (83%) |
| Sofascore rating | 6.8 |
No Leicester player had more touches than El Khannouss on Friday night, or attempted as many passes as the youngster.
One criticism in recent times has been his fitness with Van Nistelrooy often substituting the midfielder after the hour mark.
This is one of the first times he has been able to complete a full 90 and it comes at the perfect time for the Foxes, who now have a difficult run of fixtures to contend with.