It’s been 10 years since Leicester City reached the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup.
Leicester’s academy has brought through some incredible talent that includes the likes of Gary Lineker, Emile Heskey and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
There’s plenty of future stars coming through now as well, with Jeremy Monga, Jake Evans and Louis Page among the cohort destined for big things.
None got as far as the young Foxes did in the 2014/15 FA Youth Cup though as they reached the semi-finals only to be beaten by Manchester City.
Stars were born that day as well-known names like Ben Chilwell and Harvey Barnes all played, although Barnes came off the bench. But where is the starting XI 10 years on?
Leicester U18s starting XI vs Man City U18s, FA Youth Cup semi-final 2015
Max Smith-Varnam – Retired
Goalkeeper on the day, Max Smith-Varnam never played at senior level for the Foxes and left the club at the end of the Premier League title-winning season in 2015/16. He spent a few seasons at non-league level with Leicestershire clubs Barwell and Coalville but has seemingly not played football since 2019 and works full-time as a bricklayer.
Matty Miles – AFC Sudbury
A right-back for the Foxes, Matty Miles was another who was a regular in the youth set ups but never made it to the first team. After leaving Leicester in 2017, Miles spent a lot of time dotting around non-league and is currently playing for AFC Sudbury in the Southern Premier League.
Darnell Johnson – Free agent
Johnson was one of the youngsters who was involved in many pre-season camps with the Leicester first-team but couldn’t force his way in. Johnson had several loan spells before leaving in 2021 to join Fleetwood Town. He then signed for Forest Green Rovers in August 2023 but was released in summer 2024 and hasn’t found a new club since.
Cedric Kipre – Reims
Cedric Kipre is one of the names who may not be instantly familiar to Leicester fans, but he has come up against the Foxes as recently as the 2023/24 season. Kipre moved north of the border after leaving Leicester in 2018, where he starred for Motherwell before earning moves to Wigan Athletic and then West Bromwich Albion. Loan spells at Cardiff City and Chaleroi in Belgium also took place before he made the move to France in 2024.
Ben Chilwell – Crystal Palace (on loan from Chelsea)
One of the few to break into the first team, Ben Chilwell was captain on the day and the player with the biggest potential. Leicester fended off interest from Liverpool to keep him and Chilwell became a nailed-on starter during the Foxes’ glory years. He ended up signing for Chelsea in 2020 and losing to Leicester in the FA Cup final before winning the Champions League a few weeks later. He’s now on loan at Crystal Palace after falling out of favour.
Brandon Fox – Free agent
Brandon Fox is another one of the unfortunate names to have never been given a first-team opportunity. Fox had loan spells at Tamworth before making the move permanent in 2017. Two years later and Fox would return to Leicestershire to play for Quorn Town but left in 2023 and hasn’t had a club since.
Hamza Choudhury – Sheffield United (on loan from Leicester)
Another player who forced his way into the first team, Hamza Choudhury has had several first-team opportunities over the years. Choudhury has never been a regular starter but still a crucial part of the squad nevertheless. He’s now on loan at Sheffield United and could be promoted back to the top flight.
Kyle Bailey – Unknown
Kyle Bailey started ahead of Barnes on the day but didn’t go on to have the same career and ended up leaving the Foxes in 2016. That’s about as much as we know as there are no records to suggest he ended up signing for another club.
Keenan King – Retired
Transfermarkt records show that Keenan King retired from football in 2019 after spells at Hayes & Yeading, Stamford and most recently, Gresley.
Danny Rowe – Kingstonian Town
Danny Rowe recently signed for non-league outfit Kingstonian after starring at Chertsey Town. Rowe started up top on the night for the Foxes but didn’t look like becoming the next Jamie Vardy and has instead spent the majority of his career floating around non-league.
Layton Ndukwu – Spalding United
Layton Nduwku is a teammate of Liam Moore’s at Spalding United in non-league football after various spells in England and abroad. He was released by the Foxes in 2021 after a failed loan spell with Southend United. Ndukwu had a brief spell in Albania before returning to play local non-league football.