Leicester City talent with ‘big future’ wins promise from Enzo Maresca

In the 3-0 FA Cup victory over Birmingham City, the 19-year-old academy product made his first home start. Following the game, City manager Enzo Maresca praised the player.

Ben Nelson, a defender for Leicester City, demonstrated his “big future” by putting forth a polished performance during his maiden home start.

Against Birmingham on Saturday, the teenage center back was composed with the ball and made a few strong tackles to help save Jakub Stolarczyk’s goal. Dennis Praet, Jamie Vardy, and Yunus Akgun performed admirably on the opposite end to help City advance to the FA Cup fifth round.

Nelson had only made two starts for the team, and this was his first time at King Power Stadium. In the upcoming months, manager Enzo Maresca stated he hopes to offer him more opportunities.

Maresca stated, “We are aware of Ben’s abilities as a player.” “The future is bright for him. That’s just the way we handle him. It’s critical that he proves to us that he is a ready player and what sort he is when we give him the opportunity. We will definitely offer him more opportunities.

One of the six academy graduates who appeared on the field on Saturday was Nelson, along with rookie Brandon Cover. Nelson’s effort was crucial to City’s victory. After making a string of outstanding saves in the first half to keep City in the match, Stolarczyk enhanced his performance in the second half to secure a spot in the fifth-round draw.

After replacing ten players throughout the duration of the match, Maresca stated, “We expected a little bit to struggle in the whole game because of the changes and because of the many young players.” We therefore struggled, but we battled more so because we weren’t playing the way we preferred to—that is, with the ball, controlling the game, and making plenty of passes. We lost the ball after only two or three passes. It’s challenging.

“First half, they had plenty of opportunities. First half has been fortunate for us. The second part was far superior. We were more in control of the game, had more possession, and made more consecutive passes. We made some tactical adjustments as well as player changes.