Leicester City midfielder Matty James has today signed a new four-year contract with the Foxes, keeping him at King Power Stadium until June 2018.

Matty, who turns 23 later this month, is about to enter his third season as a member of Nigel Pearson’s squad, having played an enormously significant role in the Club’s promotion to the Barclays Premier League during the 2013/14 season.

A lynchpin in the heart of the Foxes midfield, James made 39 appearances in all competitions last term, helping City storm to their first Football League Championship title with a Club record 102 points and picking up the Club’s Young Player of the Year award in the process.

Matty told lcfc.com: “I’m absolutely buzzing, I can’t think of any other way to describe it. Heading into the Premier League, after the unbelievable season we’ve just had – to sign a four-year deal with this Club is just fantastic.

“For any club to offer you a long-term contract is a big compliment and shows a lot of faith in your potential, but to be offered one by a Club as ambitious as Leicester City is something else.

“The Club’s got an exciting future and I’m delighted that I’m going to be part of it.”

City manager Nigel Pearson said: “Matty has contributed an enormous amount to the group during the last two seasons – both with his performances on the pitch and with what he brings to the group off it. Nobody recognises his value to the squad more than his team mates.

“We watched him for a long time before he joined us and we were always confident that, given the opportunity to play regularly, he could be a big asset for us. He’s a great lad, he works hard at his game and he’s only just about to turn 23, so he clearly has time to improve even further.”

A summer signing from Manchester United in 2012, James arrived at King Power Stadium with limited experience of first team football following two loans spells with Preston North End, but quickly started to display the qualities Pearson and his recruitment team had identified in him.

He made 31 appearances in all competitions during his first season, scoring on his debut in a 4-0 win at Torquay United in the Capital One Cup and finding the net a further three times during the season, including a crucial equaliser in an unforgettable final-day win at Nottingham Forest that secured the Foxes a play-off spot.

That campaign would ultimately end in the play-off semi-finals following defeat to Watford, but City bounced back remarkably the following season, with James playing a pivotal role in midfield.

His all-action performances and dynamism through the middle of the park came to the fore during a record-breaking run of nine successive league victories between December and February. That run would stretch to 21 without defeat by April, with James’ determination to keep the run going particularly evident in his goal that started a memorable comeback against Watford and in his dramatic assist that allowed Riyad Mahrez to score a vital late equaliser at Nottingham Forest.

The strength of James’ midfield partnership with Danny Drinkwater was highlighted in both players collecting honours at the Club’s End of Season Awards ceremony – James named the Club’s Young Player of the Year and Drinkwater taking the Player of the Year accolade. Both players have since agreed long-term contracts with the Club.