Supporters are used to seeing Jamie Shackleton’s name included on a Leeds United teamsheet. The 22-year-old has been in and around the first-team picture since 2018, appearing on a frequent basis off the bench.
He’s made 68 league appearances over the last four years, split between the Championship and the Premier League, and it’s certainly fair to say he has played a role in the success his hometown team have seen within that time. Marcelo Bielsea could regularly be seen looking in direction during the club’s promotion season and Shackleton was the first academy product the Argentine used during his spell at Elland Road.
The versatile midfielder has played his part over the last two seasons in the top flight, too, but his game time has been less frequent. Shackleton has made just 10 Premier League starts and a further 17 appearances off the bench with injuries arguably getting the best of his time in the top flight so far.
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When he’s been fit, he has been in the squad, more often than not. But, the frequent spells on the sidelines have frustrated and potentially hampered the speed of his progress as a young player with heaps of potential, who was once tipped to reach the top.
As such, the homegrown product finds himself at something of a crossroads this summer as he looks to take the next step in his young career. Shackleton turns 23 in October and he’ll be aware that what he needs more than anything else at this pivotal stage is time and consistency on the field.
There have been suggestions that Leeds could be willing to allow Shackleton to leave on loan this summer, with Championship side Reading said to be one club showing an interest. There’s certainly a lot that would appeal about making such a loan, not least the opportunity for regular game time in a division he knows well.
Paul Ince’s Royals would be able to offer him the minutes he craves and Shackleton could be a key player for the club if he were to make the temporary move to Berkshire. A loan move would make even more sense if it was made obvious to him that his route into the first-team at Elland Road remains crowded.
Jesse Marsch hasn’t seen too much of Shackleton in a Leeds shirt. He will have seen regularly on the training field at Thorp Arch, but he was only able to give him 22 minutes on the pitch during his 12 games in charge last season.
He’ll be watching the former England under-20 international closely in pre-season training over the coming weeks, but the additions of both Marc Roca in the middle and Rasmus Kristensen at the right-back are unlikely to have helped his cause. In fact, the signings have only pushed him further down Marsch’s expected pecking order, with the likes of Mateusz Klich and Adam Forshaw also ahead of him in the midfield ranks, while Luke Ayling and Cody Drameh will both fancy their chances of pushing Kristensen all the way.
Shackleton has every right to back himself to fight for a spot, too, and he is still well-liked by those that matter at United, where he still has another two years left to run on his contract. Ultimately, though, game time is what’s needed to keep his star rising in the right direction and he must do whatever he can to get it, one way or the other.
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