Jack Clarke seemed to be knocking on the Leeds United first-team door for much of last season.
With the likes of Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Paudie O’Connor and Tom Pearce getting a chance in the Leeds first-team last season, it is perhaps surprising that neither Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom were able to find the right moment to hand Jack Clarke an opportunity in the senior side.
Necessity may have paved the way for the previous trio to make the step up, but Clarke, in many fans’ eyes, did more than enough to earn a potential chance before the campaign concluded, especially as Leeds were mathematically out of the play-off picture long before the full-time whistle was blown at the end of their 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.
The 17-year-old was arguably the most exciting player to emerge in the under-23s last term. He seemed capable of dancing past full-backs on the wing, using his trickery to create chances for his teammates or himself. It may have been a brave call to throw him in, but the same was probably said before Ryan Sessegnon got his chance at Fulham – whether Clarke has anything like that potential remains to be seen.
But perhaps those Leeds fans calling for his introduction into the first-team may get their wish now that the maverick Marcelo Bielsa is at the helm.
Bielsa loves young players and appears to have a preference for wingers who get chalk on their boots by sticking to the touchline. Clarke ticks both of those boxes, but could also bring a level of excitement that few of Leeds’ wingers actually managed to create last season.
Clarke seemingly needs a brave head coach in place if he hopes to finally get that first-team chance that many believe he needs – it seems odd to suggest that a 17-year-old has waited too long for a senior debut – but encouragingly for the starlet, they do not come much braver than Bielsa.
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