It’s always exciting to see a young player breaking through at your club.
Last year, Leeds had two academy stars making waves in the first-team as Jack Clarke and Jamie Shackleton made over 20 league appearances each.
However, since the end of that season it’s not exactly gone to plan for the pair.
We know all about Clarke’s move to Spurs and his failed loan spell back at Leeds where he only played 19 minutes before being recalled, but what has slipped under the radar is Shackleton’s lack of involvement this term.
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The midfielder was arguably one of United’s most exciting players last term, earning a lot of plaudits from fans, and it seemed as though he was ready to make the next step and become a regular starter for Bielsa’s side.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite worked out like that.
A look at Shackleton’s stats this season not only shows that he’s playing less, but he’s actually less effective.
The youngster has made seven fewer appearances this term, and while there are still nine games to go and he could break last season’s tally, his cameo appearances are actually shorter than they used to be, playing fewer minutes per outing this term.
He’s also not made a single assist this campaign, despite making two last year, and he’s also been less effective in terms of defensive contribution making under half as many tackles per 90 mins.
As a 20-year-old, Shackleton will have hoped to have seen more first-team involvement this season in order to continue his development, but he’s not progressed as many would have hoped, playing even fewer minutes and performing below the levels he’d set himself.
With United on the verge of the Premier League, it’s hard to imagine that Shackleton’s involvement will see an upturn next season if the Whites are in the top-flight. The competitive nature of the first division and the different challenge that playing against the country’s top sides present will be incredibly difficult to overcome.
In other news, Leeds fans have been raving over one man.
