Top summer signing Aleksander Tunchev takes a vital step in his build-up to Leicester City's campaign tomorrow.
The Bulgarian international, whose arrival was held up by red tape, plays in the final pre-season game at Crystal Palace (3.0), with City boss Nigel Pearson insisting it will be an important test for him.
Tunchev missed the senior outings at Luton and Kettering and, as he was City's major close-season, it was a frustrating time for both player and manager. The former CSKA Sofia defender played in the Slovenian friendly against Olimpija of Ljubljana but was limited to action on the training ground until Tuesday's home clash with Birmingham.
A relieved Pearson said: “This will be another good game for him. It can be frustrating when signing a player from abroad and the paperwork takes some time. But the quicker you can get him settled in, the better.
“Ideally, I would have wanted him to have played in more games but I thought he did very well against Birmingham City on Tuesday night considering he had not played here yet.
“This Palace match will test him again and that can only be good.”
Pearson's line-up at Selhurst Park will be seen as a huge pointer to the side which will start the League One season, especially as there are no injury concerns to the squad right now.
But he is playing his cards close to his chest, declaring that the Selhurst Park selection will “not necessarily” be the one to face MK Dons at the Walkers Stadium a week tomorrow.
However, from the choices he has made in the build-up games so far, he has slanted towards Tunchev as one of the centre-backs, with Nicky Adams and Lloyd Dyer on the wings and Kerrea Gilbert at right-back.
That might be no more than a new manager's preference for his own signings. But there is no getting away from this being the final chance to stake a claim for when the real action starts.
