Will Leeds United back up Andy Lonergan ever see meaningful action?

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Andy Lonergan returned to Elland Road with Leeds United signing him despite a difficult season at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It is fair to say Leeds United have ensured Felix Wiedwald’s adaption to life in English football has gone as smooth as possible so far.

The goalkeeper arrived from Werder Bremen in the summer with a reputation as one of the Bundesliga’s most clanger-happy shot-stoppers but, thanks largely to Leeds’ impenetrable defence, he has kept five consecutive Championship clean sheets.

Suddenly, the decision to sign him and let veteran keeper Rob Green leave for Premier League newcomers Huddersfield Town is looking a good one, even if the former England international produced a series of virtuoso performances in the second half of last season.

While Wiedwald has not really been tested so far, however, it is the identity of his back-up that should perhaps be the subject of scrutiny.

Leeds re-signed 33-year-old Andy Lonergan this summer following his departure from Championship rivals Wolves, signalling a return to Elland Road for a goalkeeper who played 38 times in the club’s colours in 2011/12.

On one hand, Lonergan can be considered a sensible addition. He is experienced, knows the second tier like the back of his hand and appears to be content with a back-up role, having spent most of his time at Bolton and Wolves on the substitutes’ bench.

On the other, his arrival once again restricts Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s chances of making a mark in the first-team. The 20-year-old has earned rave reviews for the reserve side for quite some time but has not made a league appearance since an assured debut against QPR in April 2016.

Peacock-Farrell, though largely unproven in senior football, is one of the most highly-rated young goalkeepers outside of the Premier League and deserves an opportunity to prove his worth. Making him the back-up to Wiedwald may have been a risk but one worth taking with the youngster seen as in some quarters as Leeds’ long-term number one.

Instead, he has been pushed down the pecking order by a goalkeeper who played just once last season. And you wonder whether his development will be slowed down with a 33-year-old on the bench instead.