Puel pledges to nurture youngsters

CLAUDE PUEL says he hopes to make Leicester the place to be for young talent.

The Frenchman reckons there is no better place for youngsters to find their feet than as part of his growing pack of Fox cubs.

Leicester have given more than 8,000 minutes of game-time to players aged 22 and under this season – double that of any other top-flight side.

Former Southampton and Nice boss Puel was recruited on the back of his reputation for making thoroughbreds out of leggy colts.

And he is ready to blood new 21-year-old Belgian signing Youri Tielemans at Tottenham on Sunday.

He said: “It’s a good statistic for the club and shows that you are thinking of the future.

“Leicester is the perfect club for a young player in England. If you are good enough, you will get the chance here.”

The Foxes boss believes that the promise of a fair chance was as big a factor as any in persuading Tielemans to agree a deadline-day loan move from Monaco.

He joins a fresh-faced squad that includes Demarai Gray, James Maddison, Wilfred Ndidi, Ben Chilwell and Kelechi Iheanacho – who are all 22 – plus Harvey Barnes and Hamza Choudhury, both 21. Puel said: “You would have to ask Youri why he wanted to come here but there’s a good possibility for him to get to know the Premier League here.

“Being prepared to give young players a chance is not only good for Leicester but it’s good for the national team too.”

Puel revealed he has had his eye on Tielemans’ progress since spotting him as a youngster in Belgium. He added: “I’ve known him from the days when he started at Anderlecht. It will be interesting to have him here. “He might be young but he has a lot of maturity.

“He’s intelligent and I’m confident with what he can do for us at Leicester this season.”