Leicester City Fan View: England captaincy for Demarai Gray should boost his opportunities

The international weekend has seen many Leicester City players in action. Demarai Gray may be the one who has enjoyed it the most. With the England Under 21s playing in the West Midlands and honouring Cyrille Regis, it was Gray who captained the side. A big moment for the youngster.

Proud moment for Demarai Gray

No player in the current Under 21s squad has been picked more or played more under Aidy Boothroyd than Gray. He’s clearly a valued and trusted member. Even with the young starlet Ryan Sessegnon pushing behind him, Gray is preferred for that left side attacking role. To be given the Captaincy shows an even greater level of respect and Gray relished every moment of it.

READ MORE: England can be wonderful or lose to anyone – Javier Clemente

READ MORE: Southgate highlights England’s own racism issues

READ MORE: Forward-thinking Southgate makes case for England’s defence

Foxes fans haven’t had the chance to see Gray in such a crucial role. He displayed a maturity and confidence, leading from the front and generally impressing. The England Under 21s in general all come across as good role models, Gray included. He marked his captaincy with a strong performance. The winger ran the Romania right-back ragged and they were probably pleased to see him substituted. The captain opened the scoring, too, after a dominant start. Though it took a deflection, it was no less than he deserved.

Gray is just one of the bright, young English prospects. He should continue to be involved as Boothroyd’s side look ahead to the coming qualifier this week. He’s shown more this year for the national side than we’ve seen from him at Leicester. Hopefully Claude Puel was watching, it was a solid showing from the winger.

A mixed 2018 for Gray domestically

By his own admission, Gray hasn’t achieved what he would have liked this year. His place in Puel’s Leicester side hasn’t been a given. He, like several others, has been in and out of the side depending on our formation.

As far as Foxes fans are concerned, he’s been disappointing so far. It sounds harsh, but the main source of disappointment comes from knowing how good he can be. We just haven’t always seen him match his potential.

Consistency is his biggest issue. This season, in the space of a week, he’s been a star man and then had a forgettable next game. His demeanour can be misunderstood for disinterest and fans do tend to lose patience with him.

When Puel first took over, Gray saw a lot more game time. The Frenchman’s preference for utilising younger players is still the case and presents Gray with a great opportunity. Perhaps it is still early days. With Puel looking to make a switch in style and formation for us, it could well be another chance for Gray to break through and retain a starting place in the line-up.

Can he be the answer for when Riyad Mahrez departs?

A question we’ve already asked this season. In January, with Mahrez absent, I thought Gray would seize the chance and really cement a place. Clearly if and when Mahrez came back, he’d be played, but Gray had a few matches to stamp his mark. Comparing them is a little unfair, while both generally pose a threat and are creative, they are different. The Foxes need a replacement though and it looks to be between Gray and Diabate.

It was Diabate who looked to be the spark during Mahrez’s time out. Still a little rusty, yes, but bags of speed and potential again. While Gray struggled in some games to make a mark, Diabate looked like one to keep an eye on.

Watching the way that England set up, it looks more favourable to Gray’s strengths. He’s allowed a little more creative freedom and seems to have a brilliant understanding with Tammy Abraham. Gray is able to attack, roam and cut into the middle. He looks free. Sometimes for us, his role ends up being slightly more restricted and his decision making can lead to frustration. We know what he’s capable of though, we just need to see it more consistently. His consistency for the England Under 21s certainly isn’t an issue though.