'Big future' - Coach hails pair of young Leeds United attackers and suggests duo's next steps

Established young Leeds duo Charlie Allen and Sean McGurk both caused problems for Chelsea’s under-21s in Sunday's 2-1 defeat against the visiting Blues which proved Skubala's last game as United’s under-21s head coach. Skubala has now departed the Whites to take up his first job in outright first team management as new head coach of League One side Lincoln City.

But, speaking before the news of his departure broke the following day, Skubala spoke to the press after Sunday's game where the outgoing boss was pressed on the development of both McGurk and Allen.

After Chelsea raced into an early 2-0 advantage, Leeds produced a strong fightback after the break and pulled a goal back through 20-year-old attacking midfielder McGurk. Allen, playing on the left flank, was also a constant threat and Skubala said there were now particular areas that both talented players could look to improve in. Pressed about the display of 19-year-old Northern Ireland youth international Allen, Skubala said: "He was really lively, looked good as always. He's just got to turn that brightness into goals and then I think he's got a really big future."

Asked about both Allen and also McGurk shining of late and if anything in particular had been done with the pair, Skubala said of McGurk: "Working on his movement in the pocket and how he can get on it and really have an impact rather than sort of working too much.

"So actually trying to use Sean's best assets which is opening up on the back line and sliding players in like Charlie so that relationship over that left side of the pitch is working really well.

"Sometimes it's the relationship and also how they move too much sometimes and other times they need to move more but I thought that Sean was causing problems for them in that second half in that sort of half space as I call it."

Skubala added of McGurk: "I think Sean is working hard to impress, whether that's here at Leeds or whether that's wanting to get into a loan or wanting to get into league football and you can see how hard he is working.

"He is showing his quality and chipping in with goals and he looks a really good player this year. He's chipped in with another goal now from that space that he is causing problems in so I am really pleased with his progression this season.

"There's more to come. I think he can do a little bit more out of possession which he knows and he is working really hard on which is good. I thought in the second half he did that really well and he's just growing all of the time in confidence. But his in-possession game has been really good this season."