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James Justin: Why Leicesters Latest Starlet Is the Bargain Signing of the Summer

​James Justin is a star in the making, one who been on the mind of Brendan Rodgers for a while and it's not hard to see why. 

He was heavily linked with a move to Celtic last summer after a breakthrough season at Luton, where he helped the Hatters earn promotion to League One. 

Justin showed no signs of letting up following promotion, becoming Luton's most significant player last season as they stormed to back-to-back promotions. Alongside recent Bournemouth signing and fellow full-back, Jack Stacey, he provided the basis for Luton's game plan. 

The Hatters adopted a tricky wide diamond formation to accommodate the two stand out stars, both of whom made the League One team of the season last year. At the age of 21-years-old, the full-back has established himself as both a quality defender and a lethal attacking force. 

In fact, Justin contributed to more goals than any other player in his position throughout all three tiers of the Football League last season. Attacking talent is a crucial part of the modern full-back's game and Justin is one of the most promising young talents in that aspect. 

His performances have already earned him a call-up to the England Under-20 side and he is hotly tipped to be one of the future stars of English football. ​Leicester have established an impressive reputation in their time in the ​Premier League for finding and developing talent. 

Riyad Mahrez

Turning huge profits on the likes of ​Riyad Mahrez, ​N'Golo Kante and most likely ​Harry Maguire, should he complete a proposed £80m switch to ​Manchester United. The Foxes recruitment team look to have struck gold again with the £6m acquisition of Justin - one that will undoubtedly prove to be another steal. 

The youngster is comfortable on either flank, which will likely see him provide cover in both positions. But he's expected to challenge Ricardo Pereira for the right-back role, despite playing mainly as a left-back for Luton last season. 

Described as a very mature and level-headed player, Justin has admitted he'll be happy to learn from Pereira as an understudy but expect him to displace the Portuguese star sooner rather than later - and forge a lasting partnership with another promising young full-back in Ben Chilwell. 

James Justin

Leicester's biggest failing is an over-reliance on ​Jamie Vardy, who is occasionally isolated upfront. Justin loves to get forward and has the pace to match Vardy's runs allowing the Foxes to stretch the play more effectively on those infamous counter-attacks.  

Alongside fellow summer recruits Youri Tielemans and Ayoze Perez, Leicester will have a completely new look attack that will punish most teams. The Foxes are a hot tip to break the top six this season which could provide the perfect breakthrough campaign for Justin. 

But regardless of how big an impact the youngster makes this campaign, Leicester certainly have a star for the future as they continue a model of shrewd spending and stealing talent from under the noses of the established elite.

In Justin, they don't have someone for the future, they have a star for now - and he could well be the bargain signing of the season.


Source : 90min