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

CITY Matchday Magazine
12 Feb 2022
2 Minutes
James Justin says it feels 'amazing' to be back in action for Leicester City after 11 months out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

- 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.