Doors are not being closed prematurely by Daniel Farke at Leeds United. Forgotten names left out of sight and out of mind for 12 months are not being automatically frozen out by the new manager.
Jamie Shackleton and Ian Poveda, both 23, have one year left on their respective contracts at Elland Road. They each spent last season in the Championship with Millwall and Blackpool respectively.
They were among the names you may have expected to see farmed out to the under-21s through pre-season before securing their next transfers away from Thorp Arch. However, they were in the thick of the action released by the club from Farke’s first day on the grass with the players.
Of course, there are no guarantees either player ends up being a part of Farke’s squad from September 2, but it’s important the German is giving everyone a chance to impress. They should, for example, be a part of the travelling party in Norway on Wednesday when Leeds face Manchester United.
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Neither loan in the Championship worked out especially well for Shackleton or Poveda. While Charlie Cresswell and Cody Drameh were seen to grasp their chances and become important players at their clubs, Shackleton and Poveda could not find that consistency.
Shackleton would actually rack up 37 appearances for Millwall, but more than half came from the bench as an impact sub. The academy graduate seems to have become a victim of his own versatility, caught between being a right-back and a central midfielder with boundless energy.
Poveda would reach 26 appearances with the Tangerines too, but the majority of them were also from the bench. There was a memorable goal in that 4-1 FA Cup upset of Nottingham Forest, but it was not a vintage season to leave clubs clamouring for his signature.
As they both approach their mid-20s, they each need to find a club they can settle into and start regularly. It may well be Leeds if they can make the right impression. Crucially, Farke has kept the door open for them to upset the odds.
