Ryan Edmondson has made a big impression with Leeds United since arriving at Thorp Arch earlier in the season.
It is fair to say that Victor Orta has probably not got a lot right in the eyes of the Leeds United fans who have been left disgruntled by the club’s recruitment this season.
The first-team’s campaign is threatening to fizzle out into an underwhelming mid-table finish after promising so much at the start of the season when the side topped the table in the opening weeks.
The play-offs are too far away for Paul Heckingbottom’s men to get themselves back in contention this term, so it may not be too long until the attention largely switches to potential summer plans ahead of next season.
In some ways, that planning has already started with Bailey Peacock-Farrell getting a chance in goal – though that was largely down to the poor form of Felix Wiedwald and seemingly, the injury to Andy Lonergan – and Tom Pearce making his debut against Sheffield Wednesday while Tyler Denton has appeared amongst the substitutes in recent weeks.
It would not be a surprise if Heckingbottom handed more academy starlets a chance before the curtain comes down on the campaign. But it would be a major shock if he decided to hand 16-year-old Ryan Edmondson an opportunity before the season finishes.
Edmondson is threatening to be one of Orta’s success stories this term. Signed from York City earlier this season, the young striker has been hugely impressive in the under-18s lately, scoring twice against Birmingham City last month and following it up by scoring a hat-trick against Burnley. At the weekend he scored in the team’s win over QPR.
He recently caught the eye again at the Aspire Academy Tournament, so perhaps Heckingbottom may be feeling some temptation to hand the starlet an opportunity after it is confirmed that a top six finish is beyond Leeds.
Pierre-Michel Lasogga has been impressive lately, but he is currently set to return to Hamburg in the summer, while Caleb Ekuban, Kemar Roofe and Jay-Roy Grot have not always proved to be the most convincing options.
Leeds certainly should not expect Edmondson to make a notable impact if he gets onto the pitch for a few minutes at the end of the season, but there seems little harm letting him have a taste of senior football to ensure that he remains motivated to realise his potential in the coming years.
And if he does get a chance and does impress, then perhaps the fans will be able to identify the next prospect that they must keep an eye on for the future.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
