Sammy Braybrooke has already impressed his new teammates as Leicester City will be hoping to make a mark in the first leg.
The 20-year-old midfielder moved on loan to Dundee in the Scottish Premier League this week, making his first appearance away from City and getting his first real chance at the top level. He could make his debut this weekend when Dundee host St Mirren.
But he made an impression even before his first appearance. Dundee manager Tony Docherty said Braybrook’s performances in training had “taken his teammates’ breath away”.
Docherty was assistant manager at Aberdeen when James Maddison left on loan from Norwich in what proved to be a pivotal period in the attacking midfielder’s development. He hopes the same can be true for Braybrooke.
“He’s a really talented young footballer who will see this as a platform to show how good he is,” Docherty told the Courier. “He has a certain pedigree.
“If you ask any of the guys who trained with him this week, it will take your breath away. He is a huge talent. We are delighted to have him on board.
“When it became known he might be available, he was very much on our radar. We weren’t sure we were going to get him because of the quality he has. We had really strong competition, but as a club we are doing very well.
“I am very impressed with him as an individual. He is 20 years old but he has maturity and a plan for his career. I am sure he will do very well.
“I have experience working with Maddison and players like that. Maddison will be a role model. There are real similarities. I’m still in touch with Madders. If you look at Madders, his loan to Aberdeen was crucial. I hope it shows in the same way as Sammy.”
If Braybrooke does feature this weekend, it will be the second appearance of his career and the first since his City debut in November 2022, in a Carabao Cup tie against Newport County. Two months after that performance, the England under-20 international tore his ACL and spent 15 months recovering.
He returned to action with City’s U21s at the end of last season and has had a few spells out with the first team this summer, although he didn’t get a chance to feature in any pre-season friendlies. Braybrooke will face the manager who made his senior debut, Brendan Rodgers, when Dundee play Celtic at the end of October.