Cody Drameh became the latest academy player to be handed his senior bow when he started against Arsenal in the Whites’ Carabao Cup tie.
Though he couldn’t stop Leeds exiting the competition, the 19-year-old acquitted himself very well and - alongside Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood and Crysencio Summerville, who joined him on the pitch for the second half - was a fantastic advertisement for the excellent recruitment and development going on at Thorp Arch.
But a strong Leeds United academy is not a 2021 phenomenon. For years, the Whites have handed senior debuts to players who have gone on to do extraordinary things - and some have impressed from their very first game.
Here are 21 great players who played senior football for the first time at Leeds.
19. Sam Byram
For his first senior appearance, Sam Byram lined up alongside fellow debutants El Hadji Diouf, Luke Varney, and David Norris for a 4-0 league cup victory against Shrewsbury Town in August 2012, when Byram was 18 years old. The young defender kept his place in Neil Warnock’s starting eleven for the Whites’ first league game of the season a week later. Photo: Clive Brunskill
20. Cody Drameh
Cody Drameh is having what Bielsa dubs his 'best moment' since arriving at Leeds in August 2020. His performance against Arsenal shows he's definitely one to watch. Photo: Alex Pantling
21. Alan Smith
The Rothwell-born attacker scored on his first-team debut against Liverpool in November 1998, when he was 18 years old. Photo: Gary Longbottom