Callum Nicell became the latest Leeds United ace to sign a new contract with the Championship leaders.
Amongst the cluster of youngsters that Paul Heckingbottom either introduced or threatened to include in the Leeds first-team last season was Callum Nicell, with the midfielder making the bench on two occasions before the summer.
Nicell went into this season however, still awaiting his first-team debut for the Whites, and he is so far yet to return to the side’s bench since Marcelo Bielsa arrived.
Nevertheless, perhaps Leeds have hinted that the youngster is very much on Bielsa’s radar and could soon be in line for an opportunity to push for a first-team chance.
Nicell signed a new contract with the Whites towards the end of last week, with the Yorkshire Evening Post reporting that he is set to stay until at least 2020.
The midfielder had scored a fantastic long-range goal against Bristol City for the under-23s the previous day, and it was undoubtedly the kind of performance that should have caught Bielsa’s eye, especially given the group of first-team players that were also involved in the 5-0 thrashing.
Nicell is unfortunate in that he is threatening to burst into the picture at a time when Leeds look incredibly strong and the side is setting the pace in the Championship.
But with Kalvin Phillips perhaps not having a huge amount of cover within the squad and Nicell being rewarded with a new contract, perhaps it may not be too long before the academy prospect is appearing in the first-team’s matchday squads once again.
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