Get to know James Justin – ‘Absolutely brilliant’ defender in profile as Leeds United complete transfer

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James Justin is a defender for Leeds United who was signed from Leicester City in the summer of 2025.

It’s been a busy and successful summer transfer window for Leeds United but they’re not done yet.

The hard work over the summer paid off for Leeds as they returned to the Premier League by defeating Everton 1-0.

The first new arrival of the window, Lukas Nmecha, got the winning goal from the penalty spot, while Anton Stach, Gabriel Gudmundsson and Lucas Perri all enjoyed strong debuts.

Leeds have since further improved their squad with forward Noah Okafor and defender James Justin, to take their summer signings into double figures.

Get to know the defender right here.

• Meet Noah Okafor… The thrilling forward who is about to become a new Leeds United hero

James Justin to Leeds United transfer

Justin has been tipped as a potential option for Leeds throughout the summer but only emerged as a genuine target in late July.

An £8m price tag was touted for Justin, with Everton also said to be keen on the defender, who has an FA Cup winners’ medal to his name.

Leeds held positive talks with Justin, who was said to be keen to make the move to Elland Road.

Justin suffered an injury playing for Leicester that put the move in doubt, but it was then completed on August 25.

Leeds signed Justin for an initial £8m, with a further £2m in add-ons.

James Justin position

Justin is predominantly a right-back but is versatile enough to play on the left as well and even in the heart of defence.

In his 169 appearances for the Foxes, 71 have come on the right, 54 on the left and 10 at centre-back. A further 17 have been on the wing, too.

How old is James Justin?

Born on February 23, 1998, in Luton, England, Justin is 27 years old in August 2025.

Farke has been recruiting players in that age bracket in the transfer window, so his new recruits already have plenty of top-level experience and won’t be daunted by the Premier League.

James Justin height

Farke has increased the height of his squad this summer and Justin continues to follow that trend.

He’s 6 feet tall, which makes him taller than typical for a full-back, so he will fit right in in the side.

James Justin injury history

Justin has suffered some serious injuries in his career.

In 2020-21, he suffered an ACL tear that saw him miss nearly a year of action and 68 games.

Just 10 months after returning to action, he ruptured his Achilles, which saw him miss a further 30 games.

Thankfully, other than a minor ankle knock, Justin has had a clean bill of health for two years and played 39 games in 2024-25.

However, he did pick up a knock in Leicester’s most recent game.

James Justin stats

Justin’s stats for the two clubs he’s played for during his career and his single appearance for England.

James Justin on Instagram

Justin has an official Instagram account with around 120k followers that you can find @jamesjustin7.

He also has an X, formerly Twitter, account, @jamesjustin98, but hasn’t posted on it in some years.

Praise for James Justin

Former full-back Micah Richards praised Justin while speaking for Sky Sports in 2021.

He said: “He’s been absolutely brilliant.

“I think he’s been one of the best full-backs in the league this season. He’s got absolutely everything, he can play left-back, he can read the game, he can go forward, he can defend.

“He can run, he’s an athlete, isn’t he?

“The thing I like about him, when he gets in the positions, a lot of full-backs rush their pass, but he has patience when he gets in there, he’s got composure, he can see a pass.”