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Grease Lightning

New Leicester star Ahmed Musa reckons fast and furious Foxes will speed towards glory as he looks to race Jamie Vardy

Claudio Ranieri paid a club-record fee to sign striker as Premier League champs look to prove doubters wrong

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AHMED MUSA wants to test his pace against Jamie Vardy after promising Leicester will boast the quickest forward line this season.

The champs’ new Nigerian striker demonstrated his astonishing speed with a two-goal burst in Wednesday’s 4-2 defeat by Barcelona.

 Ahmed Musa has made a big impact since joining Leicester from CSKA Moscow
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Ahmed Musa has made a big impact since joining Leicester from CSKA MoscowCredit: Getty Images
 Musa scored a terrific brace in the pre-season friendly defeat to Barcelona
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Musa scored a terrific brace in the pre-season friendly defeat to BarcelonaCredit: Reuters

And the smiling assassin believes he can give anyone in England a run for their money following his club-record £16million move from CSKA Moscow.

Musa, 23, made an instant impact against Spanish champions Barca in Stockholm, racing through to score within two minutes of replacing England star Vardy at half-time.

And he said: “I showed everyone what I am capable of. I think I impressed the supporters very much and I am going to do a lot more of what I do best.

“I don’t feel under any pressure because I am already settled into the squad and I’m very happy to be coming to the Premier League.”

 Musa is hoping to race teammate Jamie Vardy in training
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Musa is hoping to race teammate Jamie Vardy in trainingCredit: Reuters
 Musa feels he's already settled in with the rest of his teammates
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Musa feels he's already settled in with the rest of his teammatesCredit: Reuters

Musa, who made his debut for Nigeria aged just 17 and scored twice against Argentina at the last World Cup, is eager to prove he is the perfect man to lead Leicester’s counter-attacking game.

With Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, Demarai Gray and Jeffrey Schlupp also competing for a place in Claudio Ranieri’s forward line, they  will not be short of pace.

Musa said: “I haven’t tried racing against Jamie Vardy yet, but maybe we can do it in training soon.

“I’ve already found that the squad at Leicester is like a family and with that spirit, we are confident we can continue to achieve big things this season.

“I really like the coach. He is a very good manager who encourages all the players and is always positive.”

 Claudio Ranieri feels Musa is going to be a great signing for the Foxes
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Claudio Ranieri feels Musa is going to be a great signing for the FoxesCredit: Getty Images
 Leicester have splashed the cash on a number of players including Nampalys Mendy
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Leicester have splashed the cash on a number of players including Nampalys MendyCredit: AP:Associated Press

The coach also had good things to say about him. Ranieri said: “We paid a lot of money because we believe in him.

“What he showed was pace, quality, scoring goals. He’s is an international player and his performance was good. Everyone saw that. Now he has to understand the Premier League.”

Leicester have spent just shy of £40m this summer to sign Musa, Nampalys Mendy, Bartosz Kapustka, Ron-Robert Zieler and Luis Hernandez — and all five featured in the second-half fightback in Stockholm.

So it is hardly surprising Wes Morgan believes last season’s Premier League triumph will not be a flash in the pan.

 Wes Morgan reckons Leicester can prove last season was not a fluke
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Wes Morgan reckons Leicester can prove last season was not a flukeCredit: Getty Images
 Leicester take on Jose Mourinhos Man Utd in the Community Shield final this weekend
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Leicester take on Jose Mourinhos Man Utd in the Community Shield final this weekendCredit: Getty Images

The Foxes’ skipper said: “It’s definitely going to be a lot tougher this season but we’ve got a few new players and there’s no reason at all why we shouldn’t continue to do well.

“No one thought we could win the league last time. Why shouldn’t we do it this time as well?

“It’s been a difficult pre-season but it has definitely been worthwhile. There’s been a lot of travelling but PSG and Barcelona are the calibre of teams we’ll be facing in the Champions League so we have to learn quickly.

“We still have work to do but we’re pretty pleased with how things have gone so far and we’re now at the point where we need to be season-ready.

“We have our first competitive game on Sunday against Manchester United in the Community Shield and playing at Wembley is a fantastic way to complete our preparations.”

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