Impression On how Leicester City’s six loanees have started their seasons

Checking in with Nathan Opoku, Lewis Brunt, Victor Kristiansen, Luke Thomas, Boubakary Soumare and Zach Booth after their loan moves away from Leicester City this summer

                    Impression On how Leicester City’s six loanees have started their seasons

When Leicester City were in the Premier League, the majority of the players they loaned out were from their academy and were heading out to the Football League to get their first or second taste of senior football. If they developed well, they stood a better shot at breaking into the first team at City.

But that’s not true now. With their best prospects – like Ben Nelson, Kasey McAteer, and Wanya Marcal – promoted straight into Enzo Maresca’s squad without any of them having played football higher than League Two, City only loaned out six players this summer, and half of them are senior stars who didn’t fit in with the new manager’s plans.

But there are a few players hoping to show City what they can do at their temporary homes in the hope of one day turning out regularly in blue. Here’s how the half-dozen are getting on.

Back at OH Leuven for a second spell, Opoku picked up where he left off. Having scored in the final three games of last season, he was on target in their first game of this campaign, a 1-1 draw, and then set up their next goal when they lost 2-1 a week later.

He’s been out injured for the past two matches, during which time Leuven finally got their first win of the season, but the forward’s speed and goal threat should see him come back into the line-up when he’s fit.

Three appearances in, it’s going pretty well for Brunt at League Two’s Mansfield. On his debut he helped see out a 3-2 win, then he was part of a Stags side that grabbed a Carabao Cup upset over Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday, playing the full game.

That earned him a first league start of his career, the centre-back again playing the full 90 and keeping a clean sheet too, with the match against Bradford ending goalless. Reports from fans say he’s been solid in defence and looked tidy on the ball.

Victor Kristiansen

With no place for traditional full-backs in the City 11, Kristiansen has left just seven months after he arrived. While his deal with Bologna is only a loan for now, if he continues to play the way he did on his debut, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they enact the purchase clause in his deal.

Playing 90 minutes, the Dane set up one goal, won a penalty with a cross that was handballed, and then forced a late winner when his shot was fumbled, allowing a team-mate to pounce. It earned Bologna their first win of the season and it earned the 20-year-old rave reviews.

Luke Thomas

The other left-back to leave in the final week of the window was Thomas and he also received good feedback for his debut at Sheffield United.

Coming onto the pitch for the final 25 minutes of the Blades’ 2-2 draw with Everton, the lad from Syston got forward well from wing-back and nearly got himself a goal. Sheffield United fans have been calling for him to start their next game.

Zach Booth

This looked like the season City might see a little more of Booth at under-21 level, with the American teenager starting and scoring in the development squad’s first Premier League 2 match of the season. But he’s headed out to the Netherlands – where his brother Taylor, a full US international, plays for Utrecht – to get a taste of senior football with FC Volendam.

He will hope to make his debut when they’re next in action, against Fortuna Sittard next weekend, and will hope to help Volendam get their first point of the season.

After two difficult years with City, a move to Sevilla is a very good one for Soumare, and it means he will be playing Champions League football this term, the Europa League winners drawn in a group with Arsenal, PSV, and Papy Mendy’s Lens.

Torrential rain stopped him making his debut against Atletico Madrid, the match called off, so he will hope to feature next weekend against Las Palmas. Sevilla will be looking for their first point, having lost their opening three La Liga fixtures.