Back when he was as young as five-years-old, Dennis started his football journey at the SJV Motbroek academy, before heading to Stade Leuven, which later became Oud-Heverlee Leuven.

The aspiring attacking midfielder's early years where spent at King Power at Den Dreef Stadium, the home of OHL, where his raw talent and tenacious personality shone through immediately.

Naturally, his abilities alerted the attention of other clubs and, in 2003, shortly before his 10th birthday, Dennis moved to the province of Limburg to join Jupiler Pro League side KRC Genk.

Expand photo Easy to settle Praet believes Youri Tielemans' presence will help him settle quickly at Leicester City.

Over the course of his seven years with the four-time Belgian champions, newspaper reports suggested clubs such as Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Ajax and Lille were monitoring his progress.

However, it was in fact RSC Anderlecht, the country's most successful club, who were able to persuade Praet to leave Genk and pursue his football aspirations in Brussels.

A year after joining Paars-wit, in 2011, Dennis made his senior debut following a standout performance at the AEGON Future Cup in Amsterdam, where he won the Player of the Tournament award.

Expand photo Recognition in his homeland The midfielder won the Belgian Golden Shoe Award in 2014 after his impressive performances for Anderlecht.

His maiden appearance was a 4-0 Croky Cup victory against Lommel United and Praet marked the occasion by offering a glimpse into the future by laying on two assists for his team-mates.

He quickly became a regular for Anderlecht. In 2014, he also scored the third goal of a 3-1 win in the Jupiler Pro League Play-Off win over Lokeren to seal the club's 33rd Belgian league title success.

That feat in part contributed to Praet receiving the prestigious Belgian Golden Shoe award, a prize which rewards the best footballer in the country's top tier, voted for by journalists and ex-players.

I will miss Praet. He is one of the best midfielders in Italy. Eusebio Di Francesco Sampdoria Manager

Over Dennis' six seasons at Anderlecht, he played alongside Youri Tielemans and won three Pro League titles and as many Belgian Super Cups.

Praet expanded his horizons and embraced a change in culture in 2016 when he completed a transfer to join Serie A side U.C. Sampdoria, who would come to rely heavily on his services.

Across the three years since, Praet has developed a reputation in Italy as a player who runs at defenders with intent, selflessly searching for a team-mate in pursuit of goals.

Expand photo Scoring in Italy The Belgian netted four Serie A goals for Sampdoria, helping them finish ninth last term.

Dennis made over 100 outings for I Blucerchiati and was recently described by his manager, Eusebio Di Francesco, as 'one of the best midfielders in Italy'.

The 25-year-old has represented his nation at six different youth levels, from Under-15s to Under-21s, making 240 appearances for club and country combined.

On Thursday, Praet took the latest step on his journey, signing a five-year contract with Leicester City to become the Club's fourth summer arrival.