Midfielder Klich heads back to Holland after failing to impress at Leeds United

Leeds United midfielder Mateusz Klich admitted the search for regular football had forced him back to Holland after he ended a torrid eight-month spell at Elland Road by joining Dutch club Utrecht on loan.
Mateusz Klich.Mateusz Klich.
Mateusz Klich.

Klich, who arrived at Leeds in a £1.5m transfer from FC Twente in June, has returned to the Eredivisie for the rest of this season and is likely to seek a permanent move away from United in the summer.

The Poland international has been out of favour throughout his short time in England, making one league start, and he failed to break into head coach Thomas Christiansen’s line-up despite a recent spate of injuries and suspensions.

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His prospects were reduced further last week by Leeds signing midfielder Adam Forshaw in a £4.5m deal from Middlesbrough.

Klich was hampered from the outset by an injury suffered in pre-season and his only league start came in a 3-1 defeat to Cardiff City in September. Christiansen substituted him after 67 minutes with Leeds 3-0 down.

Speaking after leaving Elland Road yesterday, Klich said: “I just want to play football. I haven’t played much in England so I’ve come back to Holland.”

His struggle for appearances led to a number of pointed posts on social media, expressing frustration at his situation, and he failed to impress on a rare start in Leeds’ embarrassing FA Cup defeat to Newport County earlier this month.

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Klich holds a three-year contract with Leeds, running to 2020, but United were open to the idea of moving him on this month after receiving a number of expressions of interest from abroad.

He was missing from the squad taken by Thomas Christiansen to a training camp in Spain yesterday as he finalised his switch to Utrecht. The 27-year-old joins a side who are sixth in the Dutch top flight.

Utrecht’s head of scouting Jordy Zuidam said Poland’s forthcoming appearance at this summer’s World Cup was an additional motivation behind Klich’s transfer.

Klich has been capped 10 times but last played for Poland in 2014 and his arrival at Elland Road has failed to revive his international prospects.

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“He has proven to be a player who can make a difference in the Eredivisie,” Zuidam told Utrecht’s official website. “Mateusz has a huge drive to play in the spotlight of World Cup participant Poland.”