From 500 to 25,000, and Brunt’s a crowd-pleaser

CITY debutant Lewis Brunt had not played in front of a crowd of more than 500 before starring in Saturday’s FA Cup third round in front of 25,710.

City went into the game against Claudio Ranieri’s side in the midst of an injury crisis, so much so that there were just eight senior outfield players available.

One positive from the situation was young players being given the chance to shine, with Brunt taking that opportunity.

The 21-year-old former Aston Villa man was named in the starting line-up for the first time, making his professional debut.

He played the first half in midfield before being moved into the backline for the second half.

Brunt earned praise for his performance in both positions from Brendan Rodgers, and after the game, captain for the day Marc Albrighton revealed what the debutant told him before making his way on to the King Power pitch.

“I was chatting to Brunty and he said the most he’d played in front of before today was four or 500 people, so to come here and give the performance that he did in front of 25,000 people is absolutely incredible,” Albrighton said.

“He’s come in and showed confidence from minute one.

“He got himself around, he made tackles, but he was composed on the ball and looked like he’d been doing it all his life.”

Albrighton, who stood in at rightback, spoke of his pride of the way the team dealt with their situation.

“We’ve had adversity and the week that we had in terms of losing players most days, whether that be to illness or injury, for the young lads it’s a fantastic opportunity for them,” he said. “They’ve been training with us and then they’ve stepped in today and looked like they’ve been playing for years. It’s an incredible day to be a part of such a fantastic team and a fantastic squad effort.”