LEICESTER City forward Admiral Muskwe, whose football career seemed to have stalled after spending almost a year on the sidelines due to an injury, appears to be edging closer towards his first team debut at the English Premier League club.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
The 20-year-old Zimbabwean international looked in line for a first team debut last year following some consistent performances for Leicester’s Under-23 side in previous seasons, but his hopes for a breakthrough were dashed by a long-term injury.
After making a return towards the end of last year, Muskwe has started the new year on a high note after rediscovering the free-scoring form which saw him being invited to train with Leicester’s first team ahead of their FA Cup fourth round tie against Newport County last month.
Although Muskwe eventually missed out on selection into the matchday squad, the Zimbabwean is yet to find the net with regularity for the development side and certainly making the club’s manager Claude Puel stand up and notice.
The home side went in at the break a goal down following Dylan Vente’s opener, but Josh Knight levelled swiftly in the second half before Muskwe’s double confirmed their supremacy.
Muskwe headed in Kiernan Dewbury-Hall’s corner and slotted in his second in the 84th minute to earn Leicester’s place in the last eight as one of the two best runners-up.
Speaking after the clash, which equated to Leicester’s ninth game unbeaten in all competitions, Muskwe told LCFC TV: “It was a good team result and a good team performance overall.
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“The coaches made it clear to us that we had to get the win today and we went in 1-0 down, so we knew we had to go into the second half with a positive mindset.
“We just went out there and played our stuff and thankfully we got the three goals to take us through to the next round.”
The former England youth international could have bagged a hat-trick in the match after having a goal disallowed in the first half before winning a penalty, which he unfortunately failed to convert.
He continued: “As a forward, if you miss a chance you’ve just got to get it out of your system and look to score the next one and just carry on going forward.
“It wasn’t a case that they played better than us in the first half, we probably just didn’t take our chances and we knew that in the second half, as long as we took our chances, we’d be fine.
“Personally, I think I was onside, but you’ve got to respect the referee’s decision so the referee’s decision is final, you’ve just got to get on with it.
“This is another competition we’re looking to do well in. Hopefully, we can get some silverware this season.”
The brace in the Premier League International Cup came after the Zimbabwean had found the back of the net in his second consecutive match for the development side as they drew 1-all with Norwich on Monday evening to remain unbeaten in the English Premier League Cup.
Muskwe has also scored in Leicester City U23s’ 3-0 win over Swansea recently, which means he has found the target four times in as many matches.
He will be hoping his scoring form catches the eye of the club’s manager Puel, who is reportedly a regular attendee of all the club’s development squad home games.
The young Zimbabwean, who was named Leicester City Academy Player of the Season for the 2015-16 season, was handed a three-year professional contract at the club in June 2016.
Although Muskwe represented England at Under-17 level, he is seek to pursue his senior international career with Zimbabwe, who handed him his debut after appearing as a second-half substitute in a 1-0 defeat to Lesotho in November 2017.
