Leeds United might find themselves putting their faith in youth next season as they look to rebuild from Premier League relegation in the Championship. The Whites are braced for a raft of key men to leave the club this summer and while they will look to recruit well, they have a host of youngsters on the brink of making senior breakthroughs.
With that in mind, LeedsLive has put together a best possible XI made up of Leeds players aged 21 or younger and it only serves to highlight the amount of talent currently on the books at Elland Road
Goalkeeper: Dani Van den Heuvel
Illan Meslier and Kristoffer Klaesson might be representing their countries at this summer’s U21 European Championships, but at 23 and 22 respectively, neither qualify for this side. As such, Van den Heuvel is between the sticks and he’ll be keen to continue edging his way towards the first-team picture next season.
Read more: Leeds United individuals pass defensive test as Whites look to improve sum of their parts
The Dutchman missed a huge chunk of the season after injuring his neck in a car accident, but he returned to full fitness in time to play a key role in the U21s’ promotion back to the top tier of English youth football. He kept one clean sheet and that came in the play-off final at Elland Road as Leeds saw off Nottingham Forest 3-0.
Defence: Cody Drameh, Charlie Cresswell, Diogo Monteiro, Leo Hjelde
There’s plenty of Championship experience in this backline with Drameh, Cresswell and Hjelde ending the campaign on loan in the second tier. Drameh’s loan spell with Luton Town ended with promotion to the Premier League and while he is attracting top flight interest, he could be a key man for Leeds should he stick around.
Cresswell looks set to play an important role, too, next year, having established himself at Millwall. He has made a handful of league appearances for Leeds already, but it seems as though he will be competing for a starting spot next time around.
The same can be said for Hjelde following his impressive stint with Rotherham United, while Monteiro is one to watch after his January switch from Swiss club Servette.
Midfield: Crysencio Summerville, Darko Gyabi, Sam Greenwood, Wilfried Gnonto
There’s plenty of uncertainty surrounding Summerville and Gnonto at present with a heap of top tier clubs being linked to their signatures. However, Leeds will be hoping to persuade both men to stick around and help them back to the top flight after superb breakthrough seasons.
Gnonto established himself as one of the brightest young talents in England last time around, while Summerville managed to score four goals in 28 appearances to underline his talent and potential. Greenwood made 18 league outings over the course of the campaign, but he’ll be hoping to kick on and further establish himself at Elland Road following relegation and he’s likely to be joined in the senior squad by Gyabi.
The former Manchester City midfielder played a pivotal role in the U21s’ Premier League 2 Division 2 success and he’ll be hoping to kick on and secure himself as a first-team footballer next season.
Attack: Joe Gelhardt, Georginio Rutter
Like others in this XI, the future of Rutter appears to be up in the air. The club record signing, who cost Leeds around £35m in January, has failed to make an impact in West Yorkshire and there has been talk of a return to Hoffenheim.
Whether Leeds would entertain such an idea remains to be seen but if he sticks around, he will be expected to play a important role for the Whites and pay back his transfer fee by scoring the goals to get Leeds back into the top flight. The pressure will be on, but such a role could also be the making of him in the English game.
Rutter’s signing in January had a direct impact on Gelhardt, as he was loaned out to Sunderland for the remainder of the campaign. The Liverpudlian found the going tough at times, but he did manage to bag three goals for the Black Cats and help them into the Championship play-offs.
Promotion wasn’t to be, though, as Drameh’s Luton ended their dream at the semi-final stage. It’s worth saying that Mateo Joseph and Sonny Perkins will be looking to kick on and establish themselves in the senior picture too next time around.
The pair scored 29 goals between them at youth level last time around and they need first-team football to continue their development.
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