Leeds United’s academy was arguably one of the if not the best in England 10-15 years ago. High calibre players such as James Milner, Alan Smith and Aaron Lennon have all played at the very highest level after being sold on after Leeds faced a financial meltdown under Peter Risdale. Luckily for Leeds, from then on the youth academy has continued to blossom players who have featured predominantly in the first team of Leeds United.
Players such as Sam Byram, Tom Lees and Alex Mowatt have all been in and around the squad this season. Alex Mowatt the most recent ‘kid’ to come through the ranks. Mowatt captained the under 18’s to a League Title and led the team out in the youth cup against Liverpool. It’s fair to say he’s handled the challenge extremely well given his age. His attributes were like a breath of fresh air to a team which lacked creativity in the midfield.
This doesn’t stop here, Charlie Taylor who is currently on loan with Fleetwood Town has also come through the youth ranks. After not getting much first team action he requested to be loaned so he could continue on with his development. Taylor has battled down in League Two with Fleetwood who are fighting for promotion as we come towards the end of the season. Thankfully, he’ll be returning in the summer and will be competing with Stephen Warnock for the left-back position next season.
Leeds also have a heavy chunk of strikers in the youth academy with another to arrive in the summer. Frank Mulhern has recently impressed after bagging hat tricks in two games for the whites. Lewis Walters the most noticeable player for his goal tally, movement and power. Pundits and fans are seemingly impressed with Walters and feel he should have a chance in the first team. Luke Parkin, another striker who usually plays alongside Lewis Walters. He’s another I feel has the ability to perform in the first team but some loan experience won’t do any harm. Robbie McDaid is confirmed to join up with the youth squad in the summer from Glenhovan a team which compete in the Premier Division in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately I don’t know much about McDaid but he’s highly rated over there so he could turn out to be a great coup.
Chris Dawson is a player I have high expectations of. He reminds me of a young Lionel Messi…or Justin Bieber? Dawson enjoy to play in the attacking midfielder position. This allows him to be free and roam around. With Dawson’s agility and vision, he has the capabilities to become a top player if the team plays to his strengths.
Massimo Cellino stated he had huge plans for the Leeds United academy which we can all look forward too. Cellino is evidently knowledgeable about football clubs and realises the academy is the heart and soul of a football club. The grass roots as I like to call it.
Leeds is a one football club City. The City of Leeds is one of the biggest in the country. This means it’s clear to see why so many good players are produced at Leeds United and then either grown on the Elland Road turf or flogged onto another team. It’s pleasing to witness players like Sam Byram play in the Leeds strip because they’re Leeds. There’s no other way of putting it. Although they may move on in future, Leeds made that player and I feel proud that we’re able to continuously produce such good players.
In conclusion, it’s appropriate to feel excited about the Leeds United academy and the influence these young players could have on the first team bearing in mind we hold onto them for as long as possible.
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