Could Hugo Diaz seize Leeds chance after O’Connor’s loan exit?

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Paudie O’Connor has left Leeds United on loan for the coming season so perhaps Hugo Diaz may be able to capitalise.

One of the major positives to emerge from Leeds’ hugely disappointing end to last season was the number of academy starlets who came into, and subsequently thrived in, the first-team at Elland Road as the campaign fizzled out.

The likes of Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Tom Pearce and Paudie O’Connor all staked a claim for the coming season with their form, but the Whites fans also got to see glimpses of youngsters such as Ryan Edmondson and Hugo Diaz while Paul Heckingbottom was in charge.

Heckingbottom may have since gone but perhaps it would be fair to suggest that Diaz is one player who should set his heights on a much more prominent role for the coming season following the announcement that O’Connor has left to join Blackpool on loan.

Leeds are currently lacking depth at the heart of the defence, so it should certainly be an area that Marcelo Bielsa is looking to strengthen before the transfer window closes. But with just one signing through the door so far this summer, it would appear that not everything is going to plan for the Whites on the transfer front.

With that in mind, Bielsa may well have to adopt a similar approach to the one Heckingbottom took towards the end of his tenure and deploy several of the youngsters in the ranks. And with the centre-back options looking thin right now, Diaz may be one of the main beneficiaries of Leeds’ transfer struggles should they continue.

The 21-year-old made his debut on a difficult night at Deepdale last season and will be desperate to quickly prove that he is yet another prospect in the Leeds academy to keep an eye on in the coming years.

O’Connor’s loan exit perhaps pushes Diaz up the pecking order for next season, and if Bielsa’s apparent struggles to get signings in continue, then perhaps there is a real opportunity for the Spaniard to seize the chance that O’Connor, Pearce and Peacock-Farrell grabbed with both hands last term.