Should Thomas Christiansen consider handing these Leeds United youngsters more chances after the international break?
With Leeds going into the international break enduring a miserable run of form in the Championship, Thomas Christiansen may be scratching his head wondering what he can do to change the side’s fortunes.
One option he may want to consider is the idea of handing a couple of the youngsters in the squad more chances to try and inject some positivity into the ranks after an extremely difficult spell.
So which youngsters should be considered for more opportunities after the break? HITC Sport has picked out three contenders…
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
It is not exactly Christiansen’s fault that he has not been able to pick the loanee recently as he picked up an injury in the Carabao Cup tie with Leicester City last month – but before that, it was clear that the Manchester United-owned defender was not a key man. But with the left-back position remaining problematic for Christiansen, Leeds could surely do with getting the defender back in the team as soon as possible.
Conor Shaughnessy
There have been times throughout the season when Liam Cooper, Pontus Jansson and Matthew Pennington have looked brilliant at centre-back, but unfortunately, all three have, at times, put in the kind of displays that they would love to forget. Conor Shaughnessy may be fourth choice, but the 21-year-old has rarely let anyone down and has also impressed on a number of occasions. So perhaps, with none of the centre-backs stamping their authority on the position exactly, the door is open for Shaughnessy to make a big impact.
Kun Temenuzhkov
The 17-year-old is most definitely a wildcard choice in this list, but Christiansen may need to start looking at potential wildcards soon as his established players are struggling to rediscover their early-season form. Temenuzhkov appears destined for a very bright future, so perhaps Christiansen should take a gamble on him and throw him on when Pierre-Michel Lasogga is having a quiet game. Like the centre-back position, few of the main striker options are giving Christiansen much food for thought right now – so perhaps he could send a message by fast-tracking the Bulgarian into the first-team for a handful of substitute appearances.
Which Leeds youngsters would you like to see given more game-time in the first-team after the international break?
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