Is Jack Clarke pushing Jay-Roy Grot for place on Leeds bench after another impressive display?

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Jack Clarke appears to be one of the brightest prospects coming through at Leeds United right now.

While a number of Leeds fans have defended Jay-Roy Grot after some supporters jeered the young forward during the Whites’ win over Norwich at the weekend, there is no getting away from the fact that it has been a difficult time for the 19-year-old since his summer move to Elland Road.

With Pawel Cibicki proving himself to Thomas Christiansen in the last two games and Pierre-Michel Lasogga likely to be back in the fold in the near future, it may perhaps be worthwhile to take Grot out of the firing line for the time-being and replace him on the bench with a player who continues to catch the eye for Leeds’ under-23 side.

Jack Clarke is arguably one of the brightest prospects coming through at Thorp Arch and provided another indication that he could become a very special player in the future with an excellent performance in the Whites’ 2-2 draw with their Bolton counterparts on Monday.

Clarke was recently rewarded for his progress by being handed his first professional contract at Elland Road – and perhaps Christiansen should reward him further by looking to give him Grot’s place on the bench for when Hull City visit at the weekend.

With Cibicki and Ezgjan Alioski performing well at the moment, and Pablo Hernandez back fit, it seems unlikely that Clarke would get a significant chance if Christiansen did decide to include him on the bench, but just being around players of that calibre and perhaps getting some minutes under his belt for the first-team would surely be fantastic for the 17-year-old.

It would also send out a great message to his teammates in the under-23s that the pathway is definitely there, and may even benefit the likes of Hernandez, Alioski and Cibicki as the supporters love to see the academy graduates coming through so they will be under a little bit of pressure to prove that he should not be getting too many chances just yet.

It seems inevitable that Clarke will be in the first-team squad in the future, so perhaps with Grot struggling, Christiansen should take a gamble and include him on the bench against Hull, and consider giving him some minutes in the latter stages if the result is looking good for Leeds.