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Matty Hewitt

Jesse Marsch told to call upon Leeds United's youngsters for relegation battle

Danny Mills believes Jesse Marsch should give Joe Gelhardt, Charlie Cresswell and Crysencio Summerville a chance in the Leeds United starting XI.

The Whites are teetering perilously above the Premier League relegation zone, with Everton and Burnley both having games in hand on the Whites.

Just two points separate the three sides and Leeds could find themselves in the relegation zone if the other sides below them capitalise on their games in hand.

When asked if Mills thought any of the players in the squad were undroppable, he told Genting Casino : "I don’t think anybody is undroppable. They don’t have a huge squad and have a lot of senior players that have done very well.

"They have some very good youngsters coming through, but they don’t have too much in the middle round the 23, 24, 25-year olds with experience and quality. Listening to Jesse Marsch, he's already said that he will have a bigger squad and he will rotate a little bit more to keep people fresh, to keep people hungry.

"He will give the younger players an opportunity, the likes of Gelhardt who’s been thrown in on occasions but hasn’t really played too much. Summerville was brought in as a huge prospect and he hasn’t really had an opportunity.

"Charlie Cresswell was doing fantastically well and is a regular with the England Under 21s, he’s played in the first team, but has hardly played at all this season."

Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell wins a header on his England U21 debut (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Leeds' main issue this season has been their woeful defensive record, the worst in the Premier League. Mills believes the three youngsters would add to the overall quality of the squad if they were to feature.

He said: "If you throw them into the mix with the likes of Luke Ayling, Kalvin Phillips when he comes back, Raphinha with his out and out quality, Jack Harrison who has an incredible work rate, there’s enough quality in there to get themselves out of this situation.

"I think they just need a little bit more organisation and a little bit more solidity."

The Whites' injury problems have been well documented this season, but Mills believes Kalvin Phillips' absence has hit Leeds the hardest.

He concluded: "If they can get Kelvin Phillips back sooner, I think that will be absolutely huge. We’ve seen how important he is in the middle of the park. They just need a little bit more organisation, and need to be a little bit more defensively minded."

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