Leeds United: Ronny must earn the right to play, reveals Heckingbottom

The 19-year-old has found minutes hard to come by since Heckingbottom's arrival in West Yorkshire after featuring prominently under former boss Thomas Christiansen for much of the season.

Following a summer of action with England U20's at the Toulon Tournament in France, in which his side came away victorious, the midfielder opted to return to Thorp Arch for pre-season with little time off.

It was then revealed last September that Vieira was suffering with tendinitis in his knee following United's 3-0 victory at Bristol City.

Questions were raised over his fitness but Vieira continued to improve stride for stride being one of the beneficiaries from the Whites autumn slump plotting a route back into the fold after initially being held back following his hectic summer schedule.Heckingbottom though, revealed the youngster is fully fit and, like everyone else, is fighting to force his way into the first team reckoning at Elland Road.

“He's been training well," revealed the Leeds boss.

“Everyone gets treated the same in terms of information and in terms of time we spend with them because you want everyone to understand that a team is never picked.

“They have to earn the right to get in the team and you never know when there could be an opportunity for those players.

“He's been training with a smile on his face and we'll keep pushing him because it's up to Ronny to force his way into the team and stay in.”