Mark Jackson has backed Leeds United Under-23s forward Amari Miller to turn a corner after delivering a strong performance against Brighton and Hove Albion, via Leeds Live.
The Whites development side drew 1-1 with the Seagulls’ academy on Friday night at Thorp Arch. Joe Snowdon opened the scoring for Leeds with his first goal in the PL2 this term just after the hour-mark. But Lorent Tolaj drew Brighton level six-minutes from time for a point.
Miller started the game for his 10th appearance in all competitions since joining Leeds from Birmingham City this summer. The 18-year-old was heavily involved in the action in West Yorkshire and created a vast number of goalscoring opportunities.
Jackson praises Miller performance vs Brighton
Miller caused Brighton problems with the Leeds talent stretching the Seagulls defence and beating his marker, to impress boss Jackson. The forward failed to end the night with a goal or an assist, but earned the pre-assist for Snowdon after cutting back to Sam Greenwood.
“I thought that was a really strong performance in the second-half from Amari,” Jackson said. “We knew what he can do. We watched a lot of him before he came into the club, so we knew a lot about him. When he first came in, he had a real spike regards to doing well.
“Plateaued a little bit, which is normal, and I think this might be the catalyst to go on again and kick on again. He’s a really, really good learner – he wants to learn, he wants to get better. He did two things tonight about how to support the ball and when the ball went over his head from the corner to drop back on the line.
“So, we’re talking about learning. He didn’t do that against Everton at Southport. But he did it today, and that’s a great sign that it’s a young, hungry player that wants to learn and get better.”
Can Miller turn a corner with Leeds U23s?
Jackson has relied heavily on Miller over Leeds’ U23s fixtures since leaving Birmingham for £200k, rising to £1.5m, this summer. The teen star has delivered in recent weeks, as well, with two goals and an assist in his prior three appearances before facing Brighton.
Miller struck his third goal for the Whites against Everton on Monday night, after also netting in the EFL Trophy. If he now turns a corner and delivers an even greater output, Jackson will have a real weapon in his ranks as he seeks a first PL2 win since September 19.
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