Leeds United owner backed quartet as their future, but it did not work out that way.
Leeds owner Massimo Cellino
Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino sold half the club to Andrea Radrizzani in January, and has tried to keep a low profile this season.
That has been a positive for the club, who are succeeding on the pitch and do not need distractions off it.
Cellino’s comments have previously come back to bite him, and words uttered two years ago this week by the Italian do not stand up well in 2017.
In an interview with Simon Austin, Cellino praised four academy starlets at the club who were making waves in the first team, hailing them as the future of the club.
Two years on and three have been sold, and the other is expected to leave as a free agent this summer.
Cellino said at the time: “The team is doing quite well, yes. It’s the young players who are responsible for that.
“Mowatt, Cook, Byram, Taylor – they are fantastic young players, they are the future of Leeds. I have always said that.”
Sold… Sam Byram
Sam Byram was sold to West Ham last January after failing to agree terms on a new deal, with Lewis Cook sold to Bournemouth in the summer.
The latest transfer window saw Alex Mowatt sold to Barnsley, after failing to hold down a first team place, while Charlie Taylor’s contract is coming to an end without a renewal in sight.
Mowatt’s inconsistent form was partly down to the constant chopping and changing of managers, but at the time Cellino spoke, he was flying, in the midst of a campaign where he won the club’s player of the season award.
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