Tyler Denton has returned to Leeds following a loan spell with Port Vale.
Leeds United left-back Tyler Denton has returned to Elland Road prematurely from League Two side Port Vale, where he was supposed to remain for the entire 2017-18 campaign.
Leeds confirmed on their official website that the 22-year-old will link up with Thomas Christiansen’s first-team squad later this week, after the loan was cancelled due to undisclosed family reasons.
Denton was one of the first names on the team sheet with the Staffordshire-based side, making 22 appearances in all competitions for Neil Aspin’s side but has decided to cut the temporary deal short.
Now, returning to the Leeds squad, Denton will have his eye on forcing his way back into Christiansen’s plans, especially with the form of first-choice left-back Gaetano Berardi being arguably below par.
Stuart Dallas can also offer cover on the left side of the defence although the Northern Ireland international is naturally a winger, while Vurnon Anita and Ezgjan Alioski have played at left-back this season.
Denton will find himself in the midst of plenty of competition, but his return would surely see him sit above Manchester United loanee Cameron Borthwick-Jackson in the pecking order at Elland Road.
The 20-year-old has hardly featured for Leeds this season since he was brought to Yorkshire on a season-long loan deal, making just five appearances in all competitions.
He started the first league game of the season – playing 82 minutes in the 3-2 win over Bolton – but has failed to play even a single minute in the league since, being named on the bench only four times since.
Surely the return of Denton, then, would suggest that Borthwick-Jackson is even more unneeded within Christiansen’s squad and his loan deal should therefore be cut short in order to save his career from going into the wilderness.
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