He's Not on Wikipedia But Leicester's Luke Thomas Could Be a Ready Made Ben Chilwell Replacement

Wikipedia is home to 6,121,857 articles profiling famous figures, countries, animals, mathematical formulae, bicycles, cakes and pretty much anything else you can think of.

It is without question one of the greatest inventions in human history, providing a vital outlet for hungover procrastination, last minute homework and weird research at 2:30am when you can't sleep.

But on 16 July 2020 our great digital overlord failed us for the first time ever.

At 5pm on Thursday, Leicester City tweeted out their starting XI for their vital contest against Sheffield United, including a young whippersnapper by the name of Luke Thomas in the left wing-back berth.

It was his senior debut and naturally the first port of call was Wikipedia to try to glean some insight into the Foxes' latest hometown hero.

There was just one problem.

He didn't have a Wikipedia page.

The ridiculousness of a Premier League footballer not featuring on the greatest online encyclopedia in the world was exacerbated when it became abundantly clear a few minutes into his debut that Thomas has the potential to be a superstar.

The Syston born 19-year-old's first half performance was nothing short of inspirational. Inside ten minutes, he had floated an inch perfect cross to the back post to Ayoze Perez, who should have nodded the ball home.

Soon after, he once again showed off his passing range. Picking the ball up on a congested left-hand side, he shifted it onto his right foot before spraying a crossfield pass straight into the path of James Justin.

Things got even better on the half hour mark when he cut the ball back to Perez who then slotted past Dean Henderson to give the Foxes a much needed lead. The pass saw Thomas enter a very exclusive club of teenagers who have registered a Premier League assist without having a Wikipedia page. It's probably a club of just one, come to think of it.

Overall, Thomas created four scoring opportunities in the first half alone and continued to play his part in the second half as Leicester added a second goal to keep their hopes of Champions League qualification alive.

Comparisons with Ben Chilwell are difficult to ignore and, unfortunately, also necessary. Rumours linking the England international with a move away from Leicester refuse to subside and with Manchester United recently joining Manchester City and Chelsea in the hunt for his services, it seems unlikely that he will remain at the King Power Stadium next season.

While Thomas will certainly face tougher tests than what Sheffield United subjected him to on Thursday evening, early signs suggest that he could fill Chilwell's shoes in the future.

Not counting Leicester's 9-0 win over Southampton - which was less like watching a Premier League football match and more like watching a lion repeatedly savage a sheep - Thomas went level with Chilwell for assists on Thursday.

The latter's assist came all the way back in September as well, a quite remarkable stat considering the gushing praise that the 22-year-old's performances have earned this season.

Thomas' display is even more noteworthy when you consider the importance of the game itself. It was genuinely one of the biggest games in the club's history as the transformative power of European qualification cannot be overstated.

Despite the pressure, Thomas seemed entirely unflustered, playing with an assurance and composure that defied his tender years.

Listen. Of course it's too early to earmark him for a first team spot for the next decade but his performance was more than encouraging - it was bloody spectacular.