Distractions from Charlie Cresswell’s Leeds United future are finally out of the way with the conclusion of England’s summer under-21 programme. It proved to be a hugely beneficial post-season tour of duty with the national side as he started three of the four matches and appeared from half-time in the other.
Lee Carsley has taken a shine to the 19-year-old centre-back and his interest only underlines the vast array of suitors Cresswell is sure to have this summer. After successive, dominant campaigns with the under-23s, Cresswell took the leap to the first team with five Premier League appearances last term and found his way into many fans’ desired line-ups in the latter stages of 21/22.
Cresswell looks primed for consistent minutes at senior level, but with Robin Koch, Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente and Pascal Struijk all ahead of him in the pecking order, he would be forgiven for struggling to see it at Elland Road. A commitment to playing with a back three may be tantalising for Cresswell, but that is the kind of topic on the table with the way now clear for talks with Victor Orta and Jesse Marsch.
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Earlier this month, Cresswell told Press Association he would be having talks with the head coach and director of football about how they saw his next steps in the professional game. With another three years to run on his contract with the Whites, it is not hard to see why the centre-back is not ruling out a loan spell with a view to returning for a long-term future at Leeds.
“That’s (the future) for me to discuss with Jesse and Victor over the next few weeks and see where that takes me, but, ultimately, I would like to play more football, whether that be a loan or that be at Leeds,” said Cresswell. “We’ll see.
"Marc [Guehi] and Conor [Gallagher] and Cameron [Archer] have been amazing on their loans. It’s all about taking the opportunity and really taking it with both hands.
“That’s what we are, we are footballers, that’s our job. We don’t want to be sitting around waiting to play, we want to be playing, whether that be lower leagues or the team we’re at."
It remains to be seen how the talks will proceed, but if a loan away is on the cards then Cresswell will not be short of options for next season.
