James Justin

'I Feel Good & Prepared' – Justin's CITY Matchday Magazine Interview

James Justin says it feels 'amazing' to be back in action for Leicester City after 11 months out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
More on this story...

- Leicester City face West Ham United at King Power Stadium on Sunday
- Full-back James Justin has spoken to CITY Matchday Magazine ahead of the fixture
- The 23-year-old detailed the journey he went on during his return from an ACL injury
- Fans can get their hands on the latest edition of the Club's programme for £3 on Sunday

The Foxes full-back made his long-awaited return for City in January and has featured on four consecutive occasions for Brendan Rodgers' men. West Ham United are next up at King Power Stadium on Sunday (4:30pm GMT kick-off) and Leicester's No.2 caught up with the Club's programme this week.

"It’s an amazing feeling," he said, concerning his return. "The past year has been a really difficult journey, but I’m on the other side and hopefully I keep improving to cement my place in the team and help us get back to our best. I think my mentality is the same as it always was before my injury.

"If anything, I’d say it has improved over the last year. I don’t have any fear when I go into tackles or anything like that. The physios and sports science teams have been through all of that with me, so I feel good and as well prepared as I possibly can be."

Ricardo Pereira has suffered a similar injury lay-off over recent seasons and Justin says the support of his team-mate was invaluable as he worked towards his return.

West Ham are a top side and we know about the quality they have in the team. The way they’ve had success has been similar to ourselves; they fight for each other and make their quality count when they need to.

James Justin CITY Matchday Magazine

"That was really helpful," the 23-year-old added. "At the start especially, when it was all new, I spoke to him a lot before I had my surgery. He was so supportive and informative about everything I needed to know.

"When I was reaching the end of my recovery period, he helped me a lot too, explaining how it feels when you come back and helping to bridge that gap between not playing and coming back into the team. It’s not just a case of getting back to playing, it’s about coming back and playing well.

"It’s not easy, but hopefully I’ve done everything I can to achieve that."

Looking ahead to Sunday's test against the Hammers, the former Luton Town defender said: "West Ham are a top side and we know about the quality they have in the team. The way they’ve had success has been similar to ourselves; they fight for each other and make their quality count when they need to.

"It’s going to be a really difficult test, but we’re looking forward to the challenge."

To read more from Justin, plus much more, pick up your copy of CITY Matchday Magazine on Sunday.

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