Leicester’s Demarai Gray urged to copy Jesse Lingard and become first-choice for club and country
England's interim Under-21s boss Aidy Boothroyd says Foxes star can use Man United ace as inspiration
DEMARAI GRAY has been urged to turn from a skinny little thing into big Jesse.
The Leicester starlet is set to feature for England Under-21s in their final Euro 2017 qualifier against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Walsall tomorrow night.
He ensured the Young Lions have already booked their place at next summer’s tournament in Poland by netting in their 1-0 win in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
Now interim boss Aidy Boothroyd wants him to follow in the footsteps of former U-21 star Jesse Lingard – who made his full Three Lions debut in the 2-0 win over Malta on Saturday after forcing his way into the Manchester United squad.
Boothroyd, who has been moved up from the U-20s to the U-21s while Gareth Southgate is in charge of the seniors, said of Gray: “I can remember 18 months ago, he came to Toulon with us as a little, skinny thing from Birmingham and he has grown - physically, mentally and he has matured really well.
“He looks a real threat, he is a very good player and we will make the most of it. The main thing about him is that he is a worker.
“He wants to get better and improve his game and he is a real handful. He wants to know, wants to have a look at his clips, wants to see what he does in training.
“When you have that sort of mentality and a hard work ethic, you have got a really good chance.