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Constantine eyes a goal-den return to United
Leon Constantine intends to prove his worth to Gary McAllister with a raft of goals for Oldham Athletic - in spite of the possibility that his contribution at Boundary Park could threaten Leeds United's play-off prospects.
Constantine has been sent to Oldham on a short-term loan, one of three senior players to leave Elland Road this week, and the striker hopes the transfer will breathe life into his injury-plagued career with Leeds.
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A broken arm has kept Constantine out of United's first team since the start of January, and a run of three serious injuries in the space of six months have limited him to seven appearances this season.
McAllister revealed last week that he planned to release Constantine on loan to allow the striker to improve his match fitness away from the pressure of United's battle for promotion, but the forward's one-month deal at Oldham has taken him to another club with two eyes on League One's top six.
Constantine made his debut last night during Oldham's 1-0 defeat to Hartlepool United at Boundary Park, a result which left Athletic three points behind Leeds and five away from the play-off places, and McAllister's willingness to accept John Sheridan's approach has taken the risk that a successful spell for the striker in Greater Manchester could enhance the position of one of United's competitors.
Constantine said: "I can't think about that. I've gone to Oldham to play games and to score goals, and it'll be better for me if I perform well while I'm there.
"I hope I'm still in the manager's plans at Leeds, and that's what I've been told. But I do need games, and it probably makes sense for me to get them elsewhere until I'm fully fit. Leeds are in a good position in the league and the manager wants players who are 100 per cent sharp. By the time I come back, hopefully I will be.
"Oldham have got a chance of the play-offs and if I do well for them then it'll help their position, but I don't think that's something for Leeds to worry about. They've got a lot of games left and they know what they've got to do. They won't want to rely on another club's results."
Constantine's loan at Oldham will run until April 5, allowing him to play in eight fixtures, and United have assisted another League One club by allowing Ian Westlake to join Brighton for the coming month.
Westlake was named in Albion's starting line-up against Gillingham yesterday evening, and Brighton's 4-2 victory at the Withdean Stadium edged them to within a point of United with a game in hand.
McAllister had previously sanctioned Ben Parker's transfer to Darlington on a month's loan, and midfielder Curtis Weston completed a sudden exodus yesterday by signing for Championship club Scunthorpe United on a temporary basis until the end of the season.
The departures will create space, both in his squad and on the club's wage bill, for McAllister to sign new players, although his bid for Crystal Palace striker Dougie Freedman has been unsuccessful.
Palace manager Neil Warnock is willing to release Freedman, who has been on the fringes of the club's first team this season, but the 33-year-old appears unwilling to relocate from London despite his limited opportunities at Selhurst Park.
Freedman said: "I had a good chance to go to Leeds and play some football, but I'm not 19 so I can't just jump in a car, as much as I
would like to play."
Freedman's arrival would have added another player to McAllister's roll of strikers, and the United manager is attempting to identify other options in the emergency loan market after sending Constantine across the Pennines.
The 30-year-old has proven his credentials at League One level by scoring 26 goals for Port Vale last season, and his seven appearances for Leeds this term saw him find the net twice.
A broken ankle in pre-season and a cracked toe in November wrecked the first half of Constantine's campaign, and the broken arm he sustained on January 1 set him back further, but the striker has another year remaining on his contract at Elland Road and is confident that McAllister will welcome him back into the fold at the end of his month in Oldham.
"I think everybody knows how happy I am at Leeds," said Constantine. "I've been unlucky with injuries, but that's part and parcel of the game I'm involved in.
"Over the last couple of weeks we've seen more serious injuries than mine, and my attitude has always been the same - at least I haven't suffered anything career-threatening. It's obviously frustrating for me but you have to be realistic and get on with it.
"As things stand, I'll be coming back to Leeds with a few games to go, and that'll be an important stage of the season. The aim for me is to do well with Oldham and make sure that I'm ready if the manager needs me."
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