Leicester City booked their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday evening after defeating Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium.
Despite a much-changed 11, Enzo Maresca‘s side produced a brilliant away performance against the Premier League outfit and were worthy of the victory.
The Italian head coach made a total of nine changes, with only Hamza Choudhury and Jannik Vestergaard retaining their place from the defeat at Leeds United.
Abdul Fatawu received much of the plaudits after his 105th-minute wondergoal but there were a number of impressive performances across the pitch, with the aforementioned Dane particularly catching the eye.
Most notably though, Jakub Stolarczyk, who despite making only his seventh senior appearance for The Foxes, looked like a safe pair of hands.
Jakub Stolarczyk is a future starter
Since joining from Brondby last summer, goalkeeper Mads Hermansen has been exceptional for Leicester City and looks every inch of a Premier League player.
The East Midlanders are well-placed to return to the top flight, and providing they get there, Hermansen’s profile could skyrocket if he continues to perform at this level.
With that said, it wouldn’t at all be surprising if the ball-playing shot-stopper moves on for a huge fee in the next few seasons.
That’s where Stolarczyk comes into the equation. The 23-year-old has deputized tremendously for the Denmark international this term and made three saves in the win against Bournemouth last night. It was his fifth clean sheet in just seven outings for City, which is pretty remarkable.
Where can Jakub Stolarczyk improve?
The under-21 Poland international is exceptional at shot-stopping. His agility and reactions are first-class but there is an area where he can improve.
Stolarczyk has given City fans a few nervy moments over the course of the campaign. The 23-year-old often takes big risks playing out from the back and has given the ball away a number of times.
Take last night, for example, the Pole had a 57% pass completion rate and if he is to take that next step in his game, his distribution needs to be refined.
Notwithstanding that, Leicester have a very promising young keeper on their hands and given his age, there’s no reason why he can’t develop into a top-end Premier League player.
If Hermansen were to move on in the next few years, City could save themselves millions by promoting Stolarczyk to number one.
For now, he’ll have to remain patient and continue to impress in the FA Cup.