Ex-Hatter loanee Dewsbury-Hall targets a place in the Foxes first team after returning for pre-season training with Leicester

Midfielder eager to play for City boss Brendan Rodgers
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in possession for Luton last termKiernan Dewsbury-Hall in possession for Luton last term
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in possession for Luton last term

Former Luton Town loanee Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is determined to be a hit in the Premier League for parent club Leicester City this season.

The 22-year-old had a truly starring campaign with the Hatters last term, playing 40 times in all competitions, scoring twice and grabbing seven assists as well.

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It saw him pick up a number of prizes at the club’s end of season awards evening, and although Hatters boss Nathan Jones had spoken of attempting to bring backthe Shepshed-based youngster, it looks like Dewsbury-Hall will be trying to break into Brendan Rodgers’ plans after returning for pre-season training with the Foxes.

Speaking to the Leicester official website, he said: “I've managed to have a good rest and I think I've come back into pre-season in good shape.

“I'm ready to get into it now and kick on.

"I was really proud with what I did at Luton.

"That was the plan for me to go out and have a full season in a really good league and I did everything there that I planned on doing in my head.

"I'm just glad I was able to carry that out and everyone could see what I can do as a footballer.

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“It's so, so exciting and I'm looking forward to getting going.

"Hopefully, I can make an impact, get into the team, and show the fans what I can do.

"That's what I want to do as a player. I want to excite people and I'm hoping I can do that.”

Dewsbury-Hall was quick to talk up his spell at Luton for giving him every chance of achieving his dream at the King Power stadium this term, as he continued: “I was rewarded with the trophies at the end, but the whole team there helped me evolve as a person and as a player and it's only helped me develop.

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"I'm back here now with a lot more strings to my bow and I'm looking to really push on and make an impact here at Leicester.

"At Luton, it was Saturday-Tuesday games for months and your body evolves and adapts to that.

“It's getting stronger and you're getting used to playing game after game because it's so physical in that league.

"You also, obviously, have to adjust to different styles of play.

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"We know how Leicester play, but there were times when Luton had to play in a different way depending on which team we were playing.

“I went there and I learned to play a different style, so if that's ever needed in the future, I can revert to that. I'm comfortable in a lot of different situations.

"I've just evolved a lot as a person and as a player and that can only be beneficial for me going forward."

With Leicester now in Europe following their FA Cup success last term, then a Europa League campaign could well see opportunities arise for the likes of Dewsbury-Hall to get some significant game time for City this season.

He said: “It's given me so much hunger.

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“I'm a big believer in my own ability and I know what I can do on the pitch.

"I saw how well Leicester did last season. They've really pushed on as a club and it's exciting to be able to come back into the mix and play with these fantastic players.

"I've been here since I was eight years-old, for a similar time to Harvey (Barnes) and Hamza (Choudhury).

"It's a dream to be able to play for your boyhood club. I've managed to do that by making my debut and the next step now is to play in the Premier League for them consistently.

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"I'd say we're a team now who are really looking to push on and look for trophies.

"We won the FA Cup and I want to play at the top level. That's your dream as a kid.

"You want to play in the Premier League and you want to win things. You want to show everyone how good you are.”

The fact that City boss Rodgers took such an interest in his time at Kenilworth Road is something that Dewsbury-Hall hopes can only bode well for his chances this term as well.

He added: "We've had a couple of really good conversations.

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"He monitored me closely at Luton, which for a player is really good because it's important for your parent club manager to know how you're doing and how you're reacting to everything.

"We've had some good chats since I've been back.

"He's given me a good pathway of what he wants from me as a player, things he wants me to keep doing and improve on, or work on, so it's exciting.

"He's one of the best managers in the world. I'm only going to develop under him.

"He's going to help me as a player and he's going to push me to the next level."