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da premier bet： Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has named Jamie Shackleton as Leeds United’s most promising youngster ahead of Jack Clarke.
The 19-year-old made 21 appearances for the first team last season, and the BBC Radio pundit has clearly been impressed by what he has seen.
Shackleton’s performances last term also saw him called up to England’s U20 squad for the first time.
What’s been said then?
The 44-year-old has been getting excited about Shackleton based on his performances this season.
The youngster has been utilised as both a right-back and a central midfielder by Marcelo Bielsa this year. His versatility has drawn praise from the 44-year-old who is impressed by how well-rounded he is as a player.
Jamie Shackleton is the standout young player at Leeds, for me,” Whelan told Football Insider. “I know everyone is talking about Jack Clarke, but Shackleton is better than Clarke, who doesn’t make the same impact.
“Shackleton is an all-round player who has a bit of everything. He ticks more boxes than Clarke, who is an out-and-out winger, and is going to be a really important player for Leeds next season.
“Shackleton can play in different areas of the pitch, drive the team forward, win the ball, see a pass, beat a player, he can do most things really well. I’m getting really excited about what he can achieve.”
Popular opinion
This seems to be a popular opinion amongst Leeds United circles.
Phil Hay recently shared the same sentiment when he appeared on the Square Ball podcast (May 28, 39:00), and some supporters on Twitter have said the same thing.
Undoubtedly, Shackleton won over a number of spectators with his incredible performance against Derby in the playoff semi-final first leg, as well as his composed debut for the England U20s.
This isn’t to say that Clarke isn’t a fantastic player either, but Shackleton seems to just be edging it for the right to be called Leeds’ most promising youngster.