Looks like he’s going to be keeping hold of them, just in case.
With the January window fast approaching, there has been plenty of talk about Leeds United bringing in young players like Rhian Brewster, but what about the young players that are already at Elland Road? Will they be sent out on loan or will they be kept where they are?
Well noted Leeds United journalist believes that the latter is more likely to happen. Speaking during a Q&A on The Athletic, Hay was asked whether or not a few of the Leeds youngsters will be sent to new clubs for a few months during the window:
“Not unless there’s a change in attitude. Bielsa doesn’t like to loan out promising kids. He wants them to be close to him and training with the first team regardless of whether they’re playing. McCalmont wanted to go out on loan last season but stayed put for that reason. If anyone does leave, it’s likely that they’re no longer part of the plans.”
If this is true then I have one simple message to Marcelo Bielsa, and that is play them when and if you have the chance. If we come to the end of the season and we haven’t managed to see a substantial amount of minutes from the likes of Matuesz Bogusz, Ryan Edmondson and Alfie McCalmont, then I will be incredibly annoyed.
Because that will essentially have been six months of their career and development that have been thrown away. If they really are ‘talented’, then they need to be given an opportunity to flourish, otherwise they’ll be left in the same situation as someone like Jack Clarke.
If Bielsa wants to keep them at the club, then that’s fine, he’s spoken about his desire to carry a small squad on a number of occasions, and using the young players to ‘boost’ those numbers makes sense.
Would U23 players be a good way to address shortfalls in January?
Yes
No
But if he doesn’t plan on giving them first-team minutes, then it doesn’t make sense to keep hold of them when they could be improving themselves by going elsewhere.