Noel Whelan lauds Jack Harrison’s display in Leeds’ 3-0 victory

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Jack Harrison put in a fantastic performance as Leeds United claimed an emphatic win at Elland Road.

Noel Whelan has told BBC Radio Leeds that he believes that Leeds have got a star in the making in loanee Jack Harrison after the winger’s superb display during the 3-0 win over Preston North End on Tuesday night.

The Whites extended their lead at the top of the Championship to three points with the emphatic victory thanks to a first-half goal from Liam Cooper and a brace after the break from Tyler Roberts.

It was incredibly difficult to pick a man of the match with several fantastic performances from members of Marcelo Bielsa’s side. But Harrison certainly staked one of the best claims with a stunning effort.

The Manchester City man has already showed some brilliant touches since arriving, but backed that up with some wonderful passes and crosses which caused the opponents all sorts of problems. In particular, he played a sumptuous early ball through to Mateusz Klich, and it was actually a big surprise that the midfielder did not convert the chance.

And after the game, Whelan insisted that Harrison is a seriously special talent.

“He wouldn’t have been in hadn’t it been for Hernandez’s injury so we’re getting the best of Jack Harrison now and we’re seeing what he’s all about. He’s just getting better and better, the confidence is oozing out of him at the minute,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.

“The bit that you said there was ‘clever’, he is clever, he’s a very intelligent football man. The way he creates space, the way he takes a player forward to come in short, his touch, his balance, everything about him, his quality of ball through to Klich for the first opportunity. But yeah, I can’t wait to see how good he actually gets because I think we’ve got a star in the making there.”

Harrison was an intriguing signing when he was brought in in the summer. While he came from Manchester City and featured for Pep Guardiola’s men in pre-season, his previous stint in the Championship hardly captured the imagination.

But the last handful of performances suggest that it was a masterstroke to bring him to Elland Road for the campaign, and he could play a key role in trying to help Leeds remain in the promotion picture this term.