Leicester pondering over the future of 23-year-old star – Should Rodgers persist with him?

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Why Leicester City should persist with Cengiz Under

According to Leicestershire Live, Leicester City are pondering over the future of on-loan winger Cengiz Under. The Roma forward joined the Foxes on a one-year loan deal at the start of this season.

However, he has not featured much and his contributions have been meagre. It has come to the situation where Under is fighting to prove his importance to the club and Leicester are to decide his future at the end of the season.

Profile

Born in Turkey, Under came through the ranks of Bucaspor’s youth system and joined Altinordu’s U16 side in 2013. He went on to make 58 appearances for Altinordu before joining Istanbul Basaksehir in 2016. He impressed with 9 goals and 7 assists in 43 games.

Cengiz Under (R) in action against Bologna (Getty Images)
Cengiz Under (R) in action against Bologna (Getty Images)

The 23-year-old was picked up by Roma the following summer and he immediately established himself as a regular member of the squad. His time in Italy got off to a brilliant start but later on, injuries hampered his progress. Under fell down the pecking order and managed to make just 10 league starts last season.

Leicester signed him on loan at the start of the season and he has gone on to feature 12 times for them scoring once and assisting thrice. A full international for Turkey, Under has 25 caps and 7 goals for his nation.

Leicester should keep giving Under chances

In his debut season in Italy, he scored 7 league goals and followed it with 3 goals and 7 assists in the next campaign. He has been an influential member of the squad but he has struggled with injuries last season.

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Football – 2020 / 2021 Europa League – Group G – Leicester City vs AEK Athens – King Power Stadium Leicester City s Cengiz Ünder in action during this evening s game. COLORSPORT/ASHLEY WESTERN PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK

The Turkish international has the ability to succeed at the highest level and he could go on to be a long-term addition to Leicester’s squad. There is the argument for Under that he has been afforded just two starts in the 12 games he has featured.

It is natural for a player to take time to get acclimatized to a new country and new league. His case has not been helped by the fact that he has been given sporadic games and rare starts.

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Given the lack of quality on the flanks, Leicester need wingers to bolster their attack. And Under would bring healthy competition within the squad. He could also represent them in the long run by learning under the guidance of Brendan Rodgers. Thus, they should persist with the 23-year-old until the end of the season.