Leeds United man's coaching mentor reveals major 'mortgage' prediction for Elland Road captain-in-waiting

The former Exeter City youngster is already vastly experienced in international football, despite not yet turning 24 years old, and has skippered Leeds on several occasions already this season having only joined the club last summer.

Wales boss Rob Page spoke glowingly of the ex-Chelsea man ahead of the country's crucial UEFA EURO 2024 play-off semi-final with Finland this month, saying: "Ethan's still a young lad and to potentially get his 50th cap is an incredible achievement.

"He is captain of Leeds at the minute. A big club. He can play a multitude of positions. His attitude is first class. He's always got a smile on his face. He leads by example on and off the pitch. He's a model pro, and definitely a future captain."

It isn't just the national team coach who speaks highly of Ampadu either, as former mentor Paul Tisdale told the SCOUTED podcast. Tisdale gave the Leeds man his debut in professional football at the age of 15, while the pair were at Exeter together, and says of all the young prospects he helped bring through at St James' Park, Ampadu was the one guaranteed to 'make it' in the men's professional game.

"I was at a club that was compact enough in its dynamics that I was able to affect all areas," Tisdale said. "The only player that was an absolute definite, that you would put your mortgage on, was Ethan [Ampadu]. He was the only one. There were one or two players that I would call accelerated development, you need to get these guys as much experience as you possibly can.

"With Ethan that meant playing him as a 15-year-old, he was doing his GCSEs, would've played 30 times for us that season if he hadn't gone off to play with Wales U15s, he would've just kept on playing. And he was playing centre-half in a team that was near the bottom of League Two."

Ampadu made 13 appearances for the Grecians during the 2016/17 season, before being plucked from the depths of League Two by Premier League giants Chelsea.

"When people talk about blooding young players, you try picking a 15-year-old at centre-back when you're near the bottom of the league table. Because, that's not about the good things he does, it's about how few poor things he does," experienced coach Tisdale added.

"Picking someone on the wing, that's poles apart in terms of risk. He was simply a tick-box exercise to get as much experience as quickly as possible.

"He went on to play under [Antonio] Conte as a 16-year-old when we sold him to Chelsea, he jumped ahead of all the Chelsea academy players and went straight into the team and played a few games as a 16-year-old, so it shows the experience he had so quickly."

Ampadu has been an ever-present for Leeds in the Championship this season, captaining the side since mid-January. The Wales international has sat out just one fixture across all competitions, the FA Cup Fourth Round replay against Plymouth Argyle, and is expected to remain in the team for the remainder of the campaign, fitness-permitting.