Leicester City didn’t move for a new winger in the summer transfer window because of Marti Cifuentes’ faith in Silko Thomas as a fourth wide option.

When Kasey McAteer was sold to Ipswich in August, Cifuentes lost one of the four wingers he’d pinpointed for his squad, leaving just Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi and Jeremy Monga.

But rather than dip into the transfer market, Cifuentes first looked inside City, and picked out Thomas as a player who could step up.

The 21-year-old made his City debut at Charlton and also came off the bench at Swansea last time out. With Mavididi a doubt for Saturday’s clash with Portsmouth, Thomas is likely to be in the squad again.

He caught the eye not just with his performances in pre-season, but also last term when he was on loan in League One.

“I knew Silko from last season on loan at Wigan and I was really impressed about the way he managed until he picked up an injury,” Cifuentes said.

“When we arrived, it was a fresh start for everybody and so it was a good opportunity for him to show.

“When we were in Austria (for pre-season), he did a lot of good things. He gained our appreciation and respect. He’s been improving and improving since I’ve been here, showing a lot of great things in training.

“He’s the kind of winger we like because he runs in behind, he has pace, he is eager to show his energy. Then as well, he’s smart with the ball. He understands when it’s time to go one-v-one and when it’s not.

“That’s why he’s getting those minutes. Hopefully there will be many more. He’s pushing and trying to show he deserves to be here.

“When Kasey left, it was an opportunity to look at the market and try to find a replacement in the market.

“It was a possibility for us. The idea was to have at least four wingers in the squad. With the departure of Kasey, we had to look at the alternatives.

“The first step is to look in house, and the reality was that I was very happy with Silko, so I preferred not to sign anyone else. I’m a big believer that Silko can do a good job for us. I’m sure he will have a lot of minutes this season.”

While Thomas has come up through the Under-21s at City of late, he’s not a product of their academy.

Two summers ago, he joined from Chelsea’s youth ranks and was named City’s development squad player of the season in his first year.