Jamie Shackleton made his full Leeds United debut as a right-back in the Carabao Cup this week.
Lewie Coyle is perhaps one of the most unlucky players on Leeds United’s books right now. The right-back is good enough to be involved in Marcelo Bielsa’s plans, but is battling for a place in the side where the Whites are arguably at their strongest.
On his day, it appears that there are few better right-backs in the Championship than Luke Ayling. His arrival at Elland Road came during a summer that would have probably seen Coyle targeting much more game-time after featuring 13 times in the 2015/16 season.
Few could have foreseen how inspired a signing Ayling would prove to be in his first season with Leeds. And it appeared to make a lot of sense to loan Coyle out to Fleetwood Town last term. Unfortunately, while that move was an overwhelming success, it did see the academy graduate suffer another moment of misfortune.
Ayling picked up an injury in January that ruled him out until the final day of the campaign. It would have perhaps been the perfect opportunity for Coyle to start stamping his authority on a place in the side had he still been at Elland Road.
Ayling is now back fully fit and the start he has made to this campaign suggests that he is also back to his very best. So loaning Coyle out to Fleetwood again this summer appeared to be a very smart move.
The only problem is that it appears that Ayling could now have a new understudy waiting in the wings if he is not available moving forward.
After impressing for the under-23s and then in pre-season, Jamie Shackleton was handed his debut in the win at Derby County at the weekend. And with Ayling moving into the middle for the Carabao Cup tie with Bolton in midweek, the versatile midfielder was handed his full senior debut at right-back.
And based on the 18-year-old’s performance against the Trotters, there appears to be absolutely no reason why Bielsa could not feel fairly confident about using the teenager in the role in a Championship game if required, especially when you consider that it was his first competitive appearance in that role.
Like Shackleton, Coyle is versatile so that may help his situation when he returns from his latest stint with the League One side. But after the Bolton game, it certainly appears that through absolutely no fault of his own, the very talented Coyle is facing an even tougher task trying to force his way into the Leeds side in the future with Shackleton’s display hinting that the Whites have another very special talent on their hands.
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