Daniel Farke drops future hint on Leeds United man with summer contract expiry date

Daniel Farke says Leeds United will 'look after' utility man Jamie Shackleton, whose contract at Elland Road runs out this summer.

The midfielder, who can play in both the full-back areas, has been with the club since he first signed terms as a nine-year-old. Now 24, Shackleton is in the final months of a four-year deal that he signed in August 2024.

Farke says he's a big fan of the versatile home-grown talent, whose injury issues and the emergence of Archie Gray this season have helped restrict him to seven Championship starts, and has suggested Shackleton belongs at Elland Road.

"He's best in a Leeds United shirt, that's for sure," said Farke. "I really like and rate him, especially because he's so flexible and can play different positions. For us in recent months whenever we've needed him he's played right-back and I can remember a top performance at left-back. He played a major role in our away win at Ipswich. He always gives 100 per cent, lots of identification for Leeds United, with this club for many years.

"You always want to have this player, not always in the spotlight but always reliable, wherever you need him and whenever you need him. We will look after Jamie that's for sure."

Shackleton spent time away from the club last season, joining fellow Leeds man Charlie Cresswell in a loan stint with Championship outfit Millwall. He made 36 league appearances for the Lions, 17 of which were starts. He's one of a number of Leeds players coming to the end of their contracts this summer, including club captain Liam Cooper, Luke Ayling, Stuart Dallas, Ian Poveda, Sam Byram and Lewis Bate.

Ayling, Poveda and Bate have all already departed for loan spells in the second half of the current campaign, effectively bringing their time at Elland Road to a close. Robin Koch and Cody Drameh went out on loan to Eintracht Frankfurt and Birmingham City for the 2023/24 campaign and while the former has already signed a pre-contract agreement to join the Bundesliga club permanently, the latter is expected to follow him out the door at Leeds come the summer.