Leicester City players have a new manager to try and impress this summer as the Foxes gear up for their return to the Premier League.
Steve Cooper was the man appointed as the replacement for Enzo Maresca after the Argentine manager departed for Chelsea after winning the Championship with Leicester City last season.
This, combined with the subsequent sale of star man Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to the Stamford Bridge club, has been very unsettling for Leicester but they must now put that behind them as they start their pre-season fixtures against Villarreal on Saturday.
- READ MORE: Three key things to watch out for as Leicester City face Villarreal in Steve Cooper’s first game
With money tight this summer – especially after the four arrivals so far – Cooper may have to look to Leicester’s academy at times in the new campaign.
With that in mind, here are three youth players who could catch the new manager’s eye this summer.
Wanya Marcal could build on breakthrough season under Steve Cooper
Leicester are targeting a new winger this summer, even after the permanent signing of Abdul Fatawu.
The answer could already be on their books, though, in the shape of 21-year-old versatile attacker Wanya Marcal.
Marcal was handed his first proper taste of senior football by Maresca at the start of last season, starting the second and third games of the Championship season and even managing to get on the scoresheet in the 2-1 win over Cardiff City.
However, he soon found himself down the pecking order, playing just one more minute in the league for the rest of the season.
Having shown he can make an impact in the first team at the beginning of last season, Marcal should be eyeing up pre-season as a chance to show Cooper he can save the manager a lot of money this summer and should be involved.
Sammy Braybrooke compared to Andres Iniesta
The second player is Sammy Braybrooke.
The 20-year-old midfielder has made just one senior appearance for Leicester, playing against Newport County in the EFL Cup in November 2022.
This may well have been more had it not been for the youngster sustaining an ACL injury in February of last year that kept him out for a prolonged period.
The Athletic revealed in 2021 that Braybrooke is affectionately referred to in the England youth set-up as the ‘Leicester Iniesta’, as they wrote: ‘A source in the England set-up was full of praise for Braybrooke, who is fondly referred to within that group as “Leicester’s Iniesta” for his busy playing style and technique.
“Don’t be fooled by his physicality,” the source says. “He reads the game so well and makes so many interceptions. He can get into physical duels but with his size it is about thinking his way through games.
“He knits the team together with short passes, he can hit the ball over long distances. He is a thinking footballer. He is an absolute diamond”.’
A neat and tidy midfielder, Braybrooke could impress Cooper’s eye and may be viewed as an understudy to Harry Winks.
Zach Booth could make step up to Leicester first-team
The third and final player who will be hoping to show Cooper he can be depended on is American attacking midfielder Zach Booth.
The 20-year-old went on loan to Dutch side FC Volendam last season to gain invaluable regular senior football where he was impressive, scoring two and assisting two in 27 Eredivisie games.
Given it was his first experience of first-team football for any club, this was a season that will stand Booth in good stead to return to Leicester ready to try and break into the first-team squad.
With Dewsbury-Hall having left, perhaps Booth could help fill the void left by the former midfielder.