Jack Clarke was sensational as Leeds United came from behind to beat Aston Villa and return to the top of the Championship.
While Leeds had not played badly during the first-half of their Championship clash with Aston Villa on Sunday, it seems fair to say that Jack Clarke’s introduction after the break was the catalyst for their comeback from 2-0 down.
The winger was sensational after coming on. He scored the first goal after a superb run at Ahmed Elmohamady, and looked dangerous for the rest of the half as Pontus Jansson and Kemar Roofe completed the turnaround.
It is no secret that Leeds have something special in Clarke. He is still awaiting his first Championship start, but has never failed to produce a moment of quality during his eight substitute appearances for the Whites this term.
And unfortunately for Leeds, his progress is already attracting attention.
The Sun recently reported that Manchester City were monitoring Clarke ahead of the January window.
The problem for Leeds is that Clarke is already producing the kind of end product that some wingers seem to spend their careers trying to add to their game.
His goal against Villa was brilliantly-taken and he showed a remarkable amount of awareness to provide the assist in the Whites’ win against Sheffield United at the start of the month.
City will surely be more and more impressed with Clarke with every appearance that he makes at the moment. And if they fear other sides joining the chase – and being able to offer a less congested path to the first-team – then Leeds may have to brace themselves for bids next month.
Clarke may decide to stay at Elland Road if offered the chance to leave – some would argue that it is the more sensible step at this stage of his career – but Leeds surely cannot be surprised if that performance at Villa Park makes their task of holding onto the 18-year-old in January much more difficult.
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