Even Leeds United supporters might be disappointed to see the plight of Jack Clarke.
Clarke is one of the most exciting youngsters to come through Leeds’ famous academy in recent years.
He emerged as a real star during Marcelo Bielsa’s first season at Elland Road.
As a result of his performances in the Championship under Bielsa, Clarke got a big-money transfer to Tottenham Hotspur at the age of 18.
However, the £10 million winger would’ve been better off staying with Bielsa for a while longer.
Decline
That’s because two-and-a-half years since leaving Elland Road, Clarke, now 21, is struggling for regular football in League One.
He still hasn’t made a Premier League debut for Spurs and has only managed two starts for Sunderland following a half-season loan from the North London outfit in January.
A lot of Leeds fans will feel vindicated in believing that their academy gem left West Yorkshire too early.
However, there’s a lot of other supporters who’ll be saddened by Clarke’s struggles because, after all, he is one of their own and he’s still only a kid in football terms.
At 21, Clarke has plenty of time on his side to rediscover the sort of performances that helped him secure such a move to Tottenham in the first place.
But he might never find another manager as good for his development as Bielsa would’ve been, had he stuck by him a little longer.
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