Leicester City will take a break from Premier League action this weekend as their attention turns to the FA Cup.
Fans will be dreaming of a much-needed cup run after a turbulent season, with some hopes the Foxes can win the FA Cup for just the second time in Leicester’s history.
The club reached the quarter-finals last season – only to be beaten 4-2 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
As far as draws go, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side have been handed a relatively kind draw after being handed a home tie against Championship side Queens Park Rangers.
Van Nistelrooy will be hoping that they can come through unscathed and the Foxes should have several stars return from injury, but this could also be a chance to blood in some new youngsters.
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Ruud van Nistelrooy should hand Leicester debuts to three promising stars
Leicester’s academy is something they have long been proud of.
Names such as Harvey Barnes and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have come through in recent years whilst Hamza Choudhury, Luke Thomas and Will Alves are also very much part of the senior squad these days.
Since his arrival, Van Nistelrooy has brought several young Foxes into first-team training and Saturday’s game could be the perfect opportunity to do so.
Henry Cartwright was spotted training with Leicester’s first team ahead of the game against Newcastle United and was even named on the bench for the defeat.
The Leicester boss earmarked the midfielder as someone who has plenty of talent and it would be exciting to see him in action.
Second on the list is Michael Golding. The former Chelsea man joined Leicester for a reported £4m and has been with the first team in pre-season and the Carabao Cup ties, but is yet to be given his chance competitively.
Golding would have no problem adjusting to the game technically and could provide an extra creative spark.
Finally, defender Jayden Joseph could be considered in the full-back slots.
Joseph is comfortable playing at left-back and right-back and given that many Leicester fans want James Justin dropped, it’s a perfect chance to blood in a young talent and see if he can provide genuine competition or if the Foxes need to dip into the market.
Who is the youngest player to play for Leicester City in the FA Cup
In previous FA Cup campaigns, Leicester have used the competition as the chance to hand young stars their first opportunity.
One of those is still at the club and achieved the title of becoming the youngest player to feature for the Foxes in the world’s oldest cup competitions.
Will Alves was 16 years and 253 days old when he came off the bench for the Foxes in an FA Cup win against Watford in January 2022.
Alves has had chances here and there since that day and he will be another one casting his eye onto this weekend’s game with a view to getting minutes under the belt.