Leicester City’s youngest prospects are displaying composure well beyond their age, with manager Marti Cifuentes establishing a pathway for more academy graduates to emulate their rise.
At just 16 and 17 years old, Jeremy Monga and Louis Page are by far the youngest players to appear in the Championship this campaign, with no other under-18s featuring across the entire division.
They have also demonstrated a level of unselfishness rarely seen at such an age. In City’s recent 2-0 victory over Birmingham, both Page and Monga provided the assists for the goals.
That attribute has helped convince Cifuentes to use them regularly despite their inexperience.
Cifuentes said:
“I’m very happy for them because it shows maturity that they don’t just try to finish by themselves. Sometimes players can be selfish when they’re young.
“They are playing because they are good. Of course we need to help them to develop their qualities, because there’s a lot of quality with those guys.
“They will play better some days than others because we know as a young player sometimes there are ups and downs. But I’m most pleased that they show personality.
“They want the ball, they are not afraid. They play with the freedom I like them to play with. Hopefully there are many more assists coming.”
Monga and Page are not the only homegrown teenagers close to the senior side, with full-back Bade Aluko and striker Jake Evans also training regularly with the first team.
In fact, youth has been a consistent theme at City. The starting XI in last month’s Carabao Cup clash with Huddersfield was the club’s youngest for over 12 years, with seven of the 11 players emerging through the academy ranks.
To keep academy talent progressing, Cifuentes aims to create a clear playing identity that filters through the youth squads, making the jump to the first team more seamless.
If implemented successfully, it will not only save City money in the transfer market but also give them added value on the pitch, with locally-developed players carrying extra passion for the badge.
“There are more coming through,” Cifuentes said. “They will have their opportunities.
“But it’s not to just say we want a certain amount of players from the academy making their debuts this season. It’s to make sure they are succeeding.
“Some of them will take more time than others. Some of them will make more appearances, especially this first season.
“The important thing is to create a path by our way of playing, by our identity, so that the players feel comfortable when they come from the Under-18s or Under-21s to the first team, that the way of playing is natural for them, and that they feel from day one that they are welcome and valued into the first team.
“We know that when there is someone coming through the academy, there is an extra value in the sense they usually have a feeling for the club and they really care for the club. That can set a foundation.”