Eunan O’Kane was left out of Leeds United squad for their Championship clash on Wednesday night.
It probably took few Leeds fans by surprise when the teams were announced for the Whites’ Championship clash with Derby County on Wednesday night and Eunan O’Kane was missing from the starting lineup.
O’Kane had started both of Paul Heckingbottom’s previous two games in charge and even captained the team for the trip to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United.
However, he conceded the penalty that decided the game on that occasion and came in for plenty of criticism for his performance in the dramatic 2-2 draw with Bristol City last weekend – questions could arguably be asked about his role in the Robins’ second goal as Bobby Reid got to the ball first to stab it home.
So it was no surprise that he was missing for the game at Pride Park, but what was more of a shock was the fact that he was left out of the matchday squad entirely, with Kalvin Phillips on the bench while Ronaldo Vieira joined Adam Forshaw in the starting lineup.
O’Kane may have been disappointing in the two games preceding the fixture against the Rams, but his omission was still arguably a major sign that Heckingbottom is prepared to be ruthless with those not performing within his squad.
It would have been a safe option to put the former Bournemouth man on the bench, because, on his day, he is arguably a very good midfielder – he proved that during the early weeks of the season when he was excellent alongside Phillips.
But Heckingbottom’s decision will send a clear message out to the Leeds players within the squad that they will need to be performing if they want to be in contention to feature regardless of how important or how impressive they had previously been.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
