Claude Puel has huge hopes for Leicester's Demarai Gray to develop into a 'great player'
Sunday 29 October 2017 20:18, UK
Claude Puel thinks Leicester City youngster Demarai Gray has all the attributes to become a "great player".
Puel started life at Leicester with a 2-0 win over Everton on Super Sunday, which left the Toffees marooned in the relegation zone after a dismal start to the season.
Puel showed huge faith in 21-year-old Gray by preferring him to the in-form Shinji Okazaki and he rewarded his manager with a man-of-the-match display.
This was just his second start of the season in what's been a frustrating period where he's made 39 Premier League substitute appearances since the start of the 2015/16 season, which is more than any other player in that period.
Puel is confident that under his guidance Gray can become a Premier League star.
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"He has the quality to become a great player," he said.
"Today it was interesting to see his technical quality - but in the second half he also did good work for the team."
Everton were punished by Leicester's pace on the break as Jamie Vardy (18) and a heavily deflected Gray effort off Jonjoe Kenny (28) gave them an early advantage, which Everton couldn't claw back.
Despite the impressive start to his Leicester career, Puel still saw room for improvement.
When asked if it was the perfect performance, he said: "Perfect? I don't know but it was very interesting. It was impressive because they played very well. It was very good first half with good combination and relationships between the players for a fantastic first goal.
"It was a little more difficult in the second half because they are a very good team and they tried to get back in the game. But we had a good attitude, good structure and a lot of solidarity.
"It's a very good result and I wanted to say thanks to our fantastic fans and their warm welcome. It was a fantastic atmosphere and I'm happy for my players."
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