A push for promotion may not be the ideal platform for Nelson

RISING STAR IS SHORT OF GAME-TIME

- By JORDAN BLACKWELL

LEICESTER City were told by Oxford manager Gary Rowett in May that they had a Premier League-level centre-back on their hands in Ben Nelson.

But two months into the new season, he's not even played a minute in the Championship. In fact, the homegrown defender hasn't even made the bench for City's past five league fixtures.

There are aspects to Nelson's game that show he has potential to be a first-rate Premier League defender, but there's also plenty for him to learn to reach that potential.

However, it feels like he's trapped in a cycle many young people often find themselves in, even outside of football. You need experience to get the job, but you need the job to get experience.