Leeds United defender Matthew Pennington is on loan at Elland Road from Everton.
Amongst the most important pieces of business facing Victor Orta and Thomas Christiansen last summer was who was going to replace Kyle Bartley at the heart of the Leeds defence as his year at Elland Road threw him right back into the fold at parent club Swansea City.
The man the Whites got in was Matthew Pennington. Like Bartley, the centre-back joined the Championship club on a season-long loan, with the 23-year-old arriving from Everton.
Pennington boasted a handful of appearances for the Toffees’ first-team, but had spent most of his senior career out on loan, and his move to Leeds presented him with his first taste of Championship football.
A very promising debut was spoiled however, as he picked up an injury and had to be replaced as Leeds went on to win at Bolton Wanderers. And it has been a difficult spell ever since for the youngster, with Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper spending much of the campaign as the first-choice pairing.
Pennington has still managed to make 18 appearances for Leeds, and the Yorkshire Evening Post reported in December that the Whites were going to explore the possibility of signing the defender permanently.
So should they still want to take Pennington on a long-term basis?
The centre-back is still learning the game, so there may be some fans who feel that, with a run in the team, he may be worth putting some faith in as he clearly has plenty of talent.
However, there may also be those who feel that he has made too many errors this season to be considered for a permanent deal – especially as it was his inability to be strong in a challenge with Atdhe Nuhiu that allowed the striker to score the stoppage-time winner when Sheffield Wednesday came to Elland Road before the international break.
So what should Leeds do this summer? Have your say in the poll below…
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