Which Leeds United players could take big steps forward next term?

Jamie Shackleton

Shackleton had been held in high regard within United’s Academy long before last season’s first-team breakthrough which began when introduced as a 73rd-minute substitute in the 4-1 win at Derby County last August.

Prior to that outing, Shackleton had featured in pre-season – playing the full 90 minutes of the 1-1 draw at York City, the 4-3 loss at Oxford United and the 4-3 win at Guiseley and being on the bench for the final pre-season clash against Las Palmas.

Those outings suggested that the then 18-year-old was prominent in coach Marcelo Bielsa’s thoughts and, sure enough, he was handed his chance in United’s second game of the campaign.

It proved the first of 24 outings – six of those being starts – with the Whites ace naturally a central midfielder though often deployed at right-back.

In both positions, the teen has been bursting with pace, energy and tenacity allied to a fair degree of flair and the best is seen of those traits in midfield.

Now 19, Shackleton played the full 90 minutes of the play-off semi-final second leg at home to Derby County and his turn as a regular starter is surely close.

The teen’s season even ended with a first national call-up to represent England’s Under-20s in the Toulon Tournament in France.

Further evidence of his rising status then came when Shackleton was asked by the city’s IBF featherweight boxing champion Josh Warrington to hold his belt for the ring walk in last weekend’s defence of his title against Kid Galahad at First Direct Arena.

Once again, cool customer Shackleton looked unfazed and if current progress is continued then he could find himself on centre stage in the Leeds XI next term.

Patrick Bamford

On the face of it, Bamford would appear an odd choice to be named as a player who could play a more prominent role one year on from making a £7m switch from Middlesbrough last summer.

Bamford became the club’s most expensive signing in almost 17 years since the £11m recruitment of Liverpool’s Robbie Fowler in November, 2001.

Bamford’s first season ended with 10 goals from 25 appearances but that only tells half the story, with seven of those outings from the bench.

The striker was hit by two separate injuries, a posterior cruciate ligament playing for United’s Under-23s in September and then tearing another ligament in the same knee in training in December.

On both of his returns to the side, the forward stressed it would take significant time for him to be back to his best. It is to be hoped that with a full summer of pre-season training behind him, those levels can finally be reached next term.

Bamford had been playing catch-up last summer having only joined on July 31 and the forward started behind Kemar Roofe in the pecking order for the No 9 role.

By his own admission, the striker was guilty of missing golden chances in the latter stages of the campaign but it remains to be seen if he can become the main man up front next season.

It should be remembered that Chris Wood scored just 13 goals in his first season for Leeds after his £3m switch from Leicester City in 2015 but then netted 31 for club and country the following term.

Leeds will be hoping that Bamford can emulate those feats next term.

Tyler Roberts

Roberts is not too dissimilar in profile to Bamford in terms of being a player who cost a decent sum only to then be frustrated by injury.

Roberts joined for £2.5m from West Brom in January but immediately cracked a bone in his shin and was not seen in a Leeds shirt until the 2-1 win at home to Bolton in the EFL Cup in August.

Notwithstanding a few other injury niggles and a return of just three goals, it proved the start of a pretty decent first full campaign at Leeds for Roberts, who looked particularly good in the

No 10 role towards the end of the season, a position in which the Welsh international relishes playing in.

Handily for Leeds, Roberts can also play up front and on either flank and he is a Welsh international who already has six caps and experience of playing alongside Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale.

A flavour of that at LS11 would be just what the doctor ordered and a confident Roberts still has time very much on his side at 20. The Welsh international could be a big player for Leeds in 2019-20.

Jordan Stevens

It’s a bit of a leap of faith suggesting that Stevens could have a significantly bigger impact next term but the clues are there.

They include Bielsa’s words on the former Forest Green Rovers teenager following his appearance on the bench at the expense of Chelsea loanee Izzy Brown and even one of last term’s finds of the season Jack Clarke at Preston in April.

“He has all the necessary skills to play on the side in attack. He has good quality and speed, too,” said Bielsa about a player whose one outing for Leeds came in difficult circumstances in January as a 76th-minute substitute following the dismissal of Pontus Jansson in the 2-1 loss at Stoke.

But Stevens, 19, has been making notable progress for Carlos Corberan’s Under-23s and his ability to play on either flank will stand him in excellent stead, as will his work rate.

Bielsa is known to be on the hunt for three more wingers with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Helder Costa, Liverpool’s Ryan Kent and Manchester City’s Jack Harrison all targets but Stevens could be another option from within.

Ryan Edmondson

A lack of goals cost Leeds dear last season and Edmondson was scoring them for fun for United’s Under-23s – a total of 19.

Rather like Shackleton, Edmondson’s prominence for Leeds in pre-season last term suggested that he could be heavily involved but the teenager was never really handed a big opportunity with his sole outing coming as a 71st-minute substitute for Barry Douglas as Bielsa went for broke with Leeds 2-0 down at home to Birmingham City.

The Whites were already without the injured Bamford and Roofe and with Tyler Roberts and Jack Harrison other forward options favoured by Bielsa, rising star Edmondson was effectivel looking at four other forwards being ahead of him in the pecking order for the lone striker role.

It might be a similar story next season but Bielsa holds Edmondson in very high regard, understandably given that he has all the attributes a good striker needs – height, strength, pace, power and a natural finishing touch.

It already feels that Edmondson has been bubbling below the surface for some time at Leeds.

Yet the forward is not 19 until next March. It would be a big surprise if were not to play a more prominent role next term.

Mateusz Bogusz

Perhaps the most telling quote about Polish attacking midfielder Bogusz came from compatriot Mateusz Klich in April.

“He’s probably going to be better than me,” said Klich, some statement from the only player to feature in every single one of Leeds United’s league games last season – a campaign that featured 59 outings for club and country.

Klich was the find of the season last term after an unhappy first term under Thomas Christiansen in which he felt he was never really handed an ample opportunity following his summer switch from FC Twente before being loaned to FC Utrecht.

By the time Klich returned, Leeds had added another Pole in the shape of the 17-year-old Bogusz, who was recruited from Ruch Chorzow last January.

Bogusz arrived having already been capped at Under-16s, 17s, 19s and 20s level and the Pole quickly began impressing for United’s Under-23s.

In four months, he had already made it onto Bielsa’s first-team bench and with Bogusz not 18 until next month he has the world at his feet.