Over the past few years, Leeds United have cultivated something of a reputation for being one of the fittest teams in England.
Indeed, after years of training under Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds’ fitness standards have been absolutely immense, so, as you can imagine, pre-season training in west Yorkshire is gruelling.
The Whites returned from their holidays earlier this week, and one of the first drills on the agenda was the dreaded Bleep Test.
Players had to complete shuttle runs at an ever-quickening speed and would be eliminated from the challenge if they didn’t reach their marker before the bleep.
Leeds’ players were brilliant at this test, but there could only be one winner, and interestingly, a video posted on Leeds’ YouTube channel showed that Jamie Shackleton was the man who came out on top for the Whites.
As the likes of Robin Koch and Jack Harrison dropped out, Shackleton remained until the very end, receiving a well-earned round of applause for his efforts.
This was a repeat of last season’s result as Leeds tweeted this time last year that Shackleton had actually been the best performer in this drill in 2021.
To be one of the fittest players in one of the fittest teams in England is no easy feat, and what makes this even more spectacular is the fact that Shackleton has had a rather light schedule as of late.
Indeed, Shackleton has only played once since Jesse Marsch was appointed as Leeds manager, coming off the bench against Brighton in May, but perhaps the United boss would be wise to use the 22-year-old more often after he showcased his immense stamina on the first day of pre-season training.
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