Leicester's plan for Jeremy Monga as Real Madrid scout record-breaking schoolboy

Jeremy Monga has the world at his feet but Leicester boss Marti Cifuentes is convinced they will remain firmly on the ground despite fresh interest from Real Madrid .

Schoolboy Monga last weekend became the youngest player to score a Championship goal, aged 16 years and 37 days – eclipsing the mark set by Jude Bellingham , who was 26 days older.

And with scouts from Real and a number of Premier League giants watching Monga closely, Cifuentes is more than happy to give the winger freedom to flourish.

“He’s a very nice boy, he’s humble and it’s something that at his age is very important,” Cifuentes said ahead of today’s visit to Charlton. “He wants to learn, he wants to improve. He’s got his feet on the ground. I have daily conversations with him and, the way I see him training, he’s calm.

“We’re going to try and help him develop, to show his talent that is big but we need to go step by step. We also need to accept there are a lot of cases of players with a lot of promise, a lot of talk who perhaps did not achieve the career that they should have.

“We’re going to try and help him understand that this is not easy and perhaps one of the biggest challenges in professional football is not to arrive but to stay, to keep progressing.”

Monga remains in school but has been given permission to train with the first team permanently, having dipped in and out of the squad under Ruud van Nistelrooy last season.

And with Bilal El Khannouss set to depart amid interest from Crystal Palace and Tottenham , alongside Kasey McAteer’s sale to Ipswich being completed yesterday, tying Monga down to a scholarship deal last month is a relief.

That has ensured the Foxes will not lose their latest prized asset for a pittance and he is committed to signing a professional contract next summer. But Cifuentes’ focus solely remains on making Monga a better player – including permitting him to make mistakes.

“He has a lot of people around him that are helping him and my job as well is to make sure he enjoys his football,” Cifuentes added.

“Sometimes it’s important to guide them but at the same time give them space and freedom to learn - to learn from mistakes, to learn from game to game, to learn how to prepare. That’s where my focus is. The important thing is he has a good understanding of what he needs to improve.”

An angry reaction from fans to their defeat at 2-1 Preston last week has underlined the chasm that remains between the squad and the stands following their relegation.

And asked whether a homegrown academy star flourishing can be a uniting force, Cifuentes added: “Probably. Fans feel a little more for the players coming through the academy. But the most important thing about this connection is they can recognise the identity and if we are trying to play our best.

“Unfortunately - hopefully not many - we’re going to lose football games and even on those days, especially on those days, they go back home, ‘We’re disappointed, because that’s the way we must be but we’re proud because we tried our best.’”

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