JAMES JUSTIN was playing for England last year but this season must slog it in the Championship.
The defender has no intention of leaving Leicester after relegation from the Premier League.
Justin, 25, celebrated a career high last summer when he made his Three Lions debut in Hungary — and was in with a shout of playing at the Qatar World Cup.
But he ruptured his Achilles in November against Newport in the Carabao Cup, which saw him miss the rest of the season as the Foxes crashed out of the top flight.
Yet as the 2016 Premier League champions prepare to host Coventry tomorrow, Justin told me he will not be following the likes of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes out the door.
He said: “I went from the highest of highs by playing for England to the lows of being injured and relegated.
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“But I’m staying. Leicester took a chance on me after I won promotion from League One with Luton four years ago.
“This club has done a lot for my career. They’ve stuck by me through two bad injuries, having previously been out for 11 months with an ACL, and fully rehabilitated me.
“My plan is to help the team get promoted this season.
“The Championship is going to be fast, furious, in your face and we’ll not be allowed to breathe for a second.
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“It’ll be a graft with 46 games. You can get comfy in the Premier League playing only 38. It’ll be a shock to some of those who aren’t used to it.
“We’re not going to get any special treatment because we’re Leicester.”
It was frustrating for Justin to watch helplessly last season — especially in April when he recovered ahead of schedule but could not play due to being omitted from Leicester’s 25-man squad in January.
He said: “Everyone looks at the talent we had but the final table didn’t lie. It was a bitter pill to swallow because I couldn’t put my stamp on things after I came back from injury.
“The club had to make a decision about who to register in the squad and no-one could’ve foreseen I’d be back ahead of time.
“Our relegation was down to a combination of things. We weren’t ruthless enough when we were on top in games and were shipping goals for fun.
“We had a great run before the World Cup where we kept six clean sheets out of seven but weren’t able to do that consistently and that’s ultimately why we went down.”
Leicester made £60m selling Barnes to Newcastle and Maddison to Tottenham.
And they have reinvested half of that by snapping up midfielder Harry Winks (Spurs), centre-half Conor Coady (Wolves), forward Stephy Mavididi (Montpellier) and Denmark No1 Mads Hermansen (Brondby) — as well as defender Callum Doyle on loan from Manchester City.
Justin said: “We’ve done some good stuff in the transfer window and I don’t think we’re close to finishing the business we’re doing in and out. So there’ll be some more great players coming in to help us.”
The Foxes made a bold statement by appointing Pep Guardiola’s assistant Enzo Maresca as their new manager in June on a three-year deal.
And already he is making a big impression on the squad and Justin says fans can expect a similar playing style to Manchester City.
He said: “It’s been good and intense. The manager has installed a lot of his philosophies.
“In our pre-season games our style and how we’re set up is completely changing.
“It’s going to take time to get everything perfect. We’ve only been together a month while it took Pep’s City six years to get their domination of English and European football.
“We’ve worked on how we build up. A lot of teams build with four at the back as standard or three with two wing backs. We’re changing that and adopting what City have done in moving John Stones into midfield. Brighton also use a similar concept — but we’re looking to put our own spin on things.”
Only last summer Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany transformed a relegated Burnley team known for its defensive structure and long-ball style into one playing free-flowing possession-based football that ran away with the Championship.
Justin said: “It was amazing what they achieved and hopefully we can be similar.
“Kompany said when he arrived at Burnley they already had good ideas and a foundation at the club — and we also have that at Leicester.
“He showed what Burnley could do if they had confidence to play that way.”
It is hoped Justin will play a huge part for Leicester this season with his versatility and attack-minded approach being huge assets.
So where does he prefer playing? Left-back, right-back, left wing, right wing or central midfield?
He said: “Any of the above but I prefer playing on the left — but I’m not picky. I just get on with my job.”
And while his hopes of playing at the World Cup were dashed, Justin does not have to give up on making next summer’s Euro squad.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate revealed in March he will keep tabs on the Championship because the number of English players starting Premier League games are dwindling.
The Foxes star said: “It gives you encouragement and extra fire knowing Gareth and his staff will be watching.
“Being part of the England squad and playing alongside that calibre of player opened my eyes.
“It made me think, ‘This is the level I want to be at every week’ and seeing people like Harry Kane and what they do to prepare after training to get better is something I want to emulate.”
While things have been tough for Justin in recent times, he had the joy of his partner Laurel giving birth to their baby boy Remi four months ago — and home-town club Luton getting promoted to the Premier League.
The lifelong Hatters fan, who used to watch from the terraces with his late father Mick, was at Wembley to see his ex-team-mates beat Coventry in the play-off final.
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He said: “I used to watch Luton in the National League and when I broke into the first team, they were in League Two. So for Kenilworth Road to be hosting Premier League football, it’s unreal.
“I went to the team hotel afterwards to see the lads and their families. That club has gone through some dark days, it’s a fairytale.”
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