Academy football and Thorp Arch’s production line has long been seen as one of the crown jewels at Leeds United, where some of the best British footballers of the last 25 years have been crafted. Marcelo Bielsa pursued that dynamic by immersing himself in all age groups down the pyramid at the training ground.
The Argentine’s vision for the first team permeated down through the age groups and his removal of the barrier between first-team and under-23 training will always be remembered as a legacy of his tenure. Jesse Marsch is only just beginning to get his feet under his desk at the training ground after a frenetic start to life in West Yorkshire, which turned out four matches in 13 days for the new head coach.
The American comes to Leeds with a reputation for blooding youngsters in his previous posts and, once more, has plans to ensure the entire training ground is singing from the same hymn sheet in due course. Last week, Marsch addressed his vision for the club at Thorp Arch.
