With key Leeds United player Kalvin Phillips set to serve a one game suspension this weekend as we face Huddersfield Town, former player Noel Whelan believes that manager Marcelo Bielsa has a ready made replacement in the shape of 20-year-old Jamie Shackleton.
The versatile defensive midfielder made his breakthrough in the 2018/19 campaign under Bielsa and impressed plenty, and he’s featured nine times for our Argentine gaffer so far this campaign, although he’s only taken in the full 90 minutes on three occasions so far.
Not afraid to put his foot in, Whelan told Football Insider that he felt he was the ideal replacement for our reliable 23-year-old, and given the injury issues he’s had this year that have limited his game time, the BBC pundit felt he would be the proverbial ‘new signing’.
“I would like to see Jamie Shackleton in the Kalvin Phillips role. If he is fit, he would be the perfect replacement for Kalvin. He’s missed a lot of this season due to injury and having him back is like a new signing. He’s the answer to Marcelo Bielsa’s prayers. He’s got the energy, intelligence, work-rate, mobility, passing range and aggression to play the defensive midfield role. Kalvin is a massive loss, no doubt about that. He’s the best defensive midfielder in the Championship. Jamie Shackleton is good enough to replace him. He was fit last week and wasn’t on the bench on Saturday. We’re unsure what’s wrong with him, but it would be brilliant to see him back in the team.”
Shackleton has long been highly rated and he’s largely impressed when given a chance at first team level, but like all youngsters, there has to be a degree of patience as mistakes will be made, but he’s definitely a good shout for the weekend if he is fit and at 100%.
Certainly makes more sense to me than the suggestion of moving Ben White into midfield and disrupting the backline.
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