Failure for Modou Barrow at Leeds could be damaging for his career

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Modou Barrow needs success at Leeds United.

Swansea City winger Modou Barrow was a late loan signing at Leeds United, clinching the move on transfer deadline day.

The speedy star is highly rated, signing a new contract at the Swans last summer which takes him up until 2019.

The Mirror reported last Autumn that this contains a £15 million release clause, but based on his spell in England so far, he has not justified this sort of price tag.

Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk in action with Swansea’s Modou Barrow

Barrow rejoins the coaching staff of Garry Monk and Pep Clotet at Leeds with who he worked under at Swansea, and will be hoping for a change in fortunes.

This is his third spell on loan in the Championship, with the first two being a combination of unsuccessful and forgettable.

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The first was at Nottingham Forest in 2015, where he made only two starts and two further appearances from the bench, providing one assist.

The second came last season at Blackburn, for which he had just one start and three substitute showings to show for it.

He will get more chances at Leeds surely, but needs to show more. In 60 games now in England, he has scored only one goal and provided six assists.

Swansea City’s Modou Barrow in action with Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny

In his defence, only 22 of these 60 games have been starts, and the first challenge for the 24-year-old is to establish himself as a regular for the Whites.

Barrow needs to make this loan spell count, and start showing that he is a player with end product to match his hype. Barrow is 24, not a young prospect with potential, but a player who should be moving towards the peak of his powers.

If he cannot do so in a Championship side battling at the top half of the table, it will be even more difficult for him to reclaim his spot at Swansea, or find another club willing to pay top money for him.

Leeds need to hope that this concern provides him with extra motivation to really kick on.