Leeds United have said goodbye to one twenty-something centre-back this summer but another has a big few months ahead of him.
While he had failed to make his mark for Leeds United’s first-team since his arrival from Doncaster Rovers, it was still somewhat surprising to see that Paul McKay (along with his twin brother Jack) had left Elland Road by mutual consent with six months of his current deal remaining.
Most players move during a transfer window or at the end of their contract, yet the centre-back has swapped Leeds for a trial spell at Cardiff City, leaving another promising young defender with one less rival at the Whites.
With McKay gone, the spotlight will turn to Paudie O’Connor as the next oldest of Leeds’ new wave of defenders currently plying their trade with the under-23s, and it will be interesting to see how the former Limerick player fares in the months ahead.
Selected for Leeds’ early pre-season friendlies, O’Connor was them usurped by Conor Shaughessy, who has since signed a new contract and become a regular in Thomas Christiansen’s squad.
In time O’Connor will hope to follow, and he now has one less challenger in that regard, with McKay out the door and the young Irishman competing with the likes of Oriol Rey and Hugo Diaz, who both arrived at Leeds last summer.
The Leeds defender will know how hard it is to get your break at the club, having seen yet another defender follow the likes of Jack Vann and Ross Killock out the door, and it will be up to O’Connor to excel with the second string and seize any chance that comes his way in due course.
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