Jamie Shackleton ready to face Leeds United 'legend' Lee Bowyer but business as usual at Charlton Athletic

It speaks volumes about the midfielder’s precocity that he cannot recall Bowyer’s glory days with the Whites.

Not that he is unaware, with the midfielder’s granddad telling his 19-year-old grandson all about Bowyer and Leeds at the turn of the century before relegation from the Premier League in 2004.

It means that Shackleton knows his side are facing a Leeds “legend” come Saturday’s Championship clash at The Valley.

But legend or otherwise, United’s teen midfielder says it will be business as usual for a Leeds side aiming to dominate Bowyer and Charlton in their own back yard.

Sixteen and a half years after his exit from the Whites to West Ham, Bowyer will take on his former side as a manager for the first time on Saturday with Charlton and Leeds on a collision course at The Valley.

Victory in May’s League One play-off final against Sunderland has put Charlton back in the Championship at the third time of asking with Bowyer quickly amassing a fine record in charge of the club with whom he began his career.

Leeds then came calling in the summer of 1996 and the rest is history with Bowyer going on to make 265 appearances for Leeds and netting 55 goals including his famous strike to down Milan in the Champions League.

Shackleton has been reminded just how young he was when that goal was scored.

Likewise, even if he can’t remember it, the teen is well aware of Bowyer’s glorious standing with Leeds.

Yet Shackleton’s only focus is on his side sticking to their high press and suffocating style of football in a bid to claim the full three-point haul that was gallingly missing in last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Derby County at Elland Road.

“I know he’s a bit of a legend around Leeds,” said Shackleton about Bowyer.

“But I am a bit young and I did not see much of his playing days at Leeds.

“My granddad talks a lot about Leeds being in the Champions League and 2004 but I would have been four years old then so it’s a long time ago for me. I can’t particular remember that!

“But for us it’s just a case of going out and dominating the game like we have been doing recently and not letting the result last week affect us too much.

“Just go out, play our game, keep creating the chances that we are doing and put the game to bed.”

Shackleton knows Derby should have been put to bed long before Chris Martin’s 91st-minute leveller last weekend but the teen midfielder again strongly advertised his talents in his second league start in a row.

A hip problem for Adam Forshaw has brought Shackleton into the fold but Forshaw is back available for Saturday’s clash at The Valley and it might be that Shackleton finds himself back on the bench.

That bench, though, is becoming almost as important as the selected XI with Leeds blessed with stellar options amongst their substitutes to the degree that summer marquee signing Helder Costa is still awaiting his first Leeds league start.

With Pablo Hernandez suffering with a muscle injury, that first league start will finally come at The Valley and Shackleton says that even in replacing United’s Spanish magician, Portuguese star Costa is capable of make quite an impression.

“Helder gives everything in training,” said Shackleton. “All the boys, we train like we play and Helder is exactly the same.

“He is one of the ones that is on the bench or has been on the bench and if you slot him in things don’t look disjointed.

“He is going to keep up the way we play and hopefully add a bit more, add something a bit different with what he has got. He is brilliant one v one and hopefully he can add to our game on Saturday.”

Assessing the fierce battle for a starting place in Bielsa’s second season in charge at Leeds, Shackleton beamed: “It just makes it a healthy environment really.

“Everyone is wanting to play, everyone is giving it their all and pushing everyone to be better so you know you have got someone behind you that is there and waiting for the chance.

“That is only going to improve everyone as players all the time.

“For me, it’s vital really that the manager feels he can put me in there and things won’t be disjointed from what they would be from the original starting XI. And I think that’s the case all across the pitch.

“I think we have got players that can come in if people do get injured and are out for a period of time, players that can come in and the team won’t look disjointed, we won’t look any less tired.

“Everyone is fit and everyone is confident and everyone is raring to go from all positions.”