Leeds United have taken the youngster on trial, his club have confirmed.
Non-league side Matlock Town have confirmed on their official website that Leeds United have taken young defender Ashton Hall on trial, with the 18-year-old already making an appearance for the Whites’ youth ranks.
Leeds have devoted a lot of time towards their youth recruitment since Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta arrived at Elland Road, and have not been afraid to take a look at youngsters plying their trade outside the Football League.
The likes of Ryan Edmondson and Sam Dalby have arrived from non-league clubs in recent times. And Hall will be hoping that he can potentially follow in their footsteps.
Matlock have announced on their official website that the Championship high-flyers have brought Hall in, and his current manager Dave Frecklington suggested that he is already too good for the level he is currently at. He also explained what the teenager has done since being at Thorp Arch.
“Ashton’s been training with the Leeds under-23s and then played for the under-18 side against Shrewsbury. He was excellent, outstanding, playing on the right of a back three in the first half and on the right of a back four in the second half. He’d gone into the game off the cuff with just one training session with Leeds so to step up and play so well with a totally new group of people was brilliant,” he told Matlock’s official website.
“His attitude and application has always been outstanding and I’m really really pleased for him. He’ll be training with the under-23s again for the rest of the week, It’ll give Leeds the opportunity to take a really good look at him and to make a decision on him at the beginning of next week. He didn’t put a foot wrong against Shrewsbury and looked like he’d been there for all of his career.”
It must be an incredibly exciting time to head to Leeds. Injuries may have forced Marcelo Bielsa’s hand when it came to using so many under-23 players in the first-team this term, but his decision to trim the squad in the summer showed that he always had faith in those players.
The likes of Jamie Shackleton and Jack Clarke are now regularly included in the first-team squad at Elland Road, and there are so many others that have got their chance since Bielsa’s arrival.
Hall will be trying to not think that far ahead. But if he has alternative offers to consider – if Leeds do decide to pursue a deal – that path towards the first-team that is so accessible for the Whites’ youngsters may well sway his choice.
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