Leeds United trio highlighted for vital summer retained list despite expected Serie A interest

The season ended in bitter disappointment for Leeds United but there's still a chance for two of the squad to celebrate something this month.

Both Willy Gnonto and Rodrigo have been called up for Italy and Spain respectively for their Nations League semi-final meeting, ahead of the final against either Netherlands or Croatia on June 18.

Italy are looking to the future and while they haven't had a squad overly blessed with talent up front, I'm still not surprised Willy Gnonto is in there. We've seen flashes from him, Italy boss Roberto Mancini has seen flashes from him and he's certainly got something that others haven't in terms of making things happen. At such a young age, to be involved in the Premier League, to have played the minutes that he has, that will be viewed as extremely useful for Mancini.

The Rodrigo story is also quite remarkable. When he first came to the club everyone understood that he had some wonderful ability but seeing him play, whether that was as a nine or a 10, when he was having to drop deeper and deeper, suddenly you wondered if it was going to work. He was in and out of form, he had injuries to contend with and last summer you might have considered him a player the club could look to shift on. Quite suddenly he turned it around this season, scored lots of goals and looked like the player we expected for the £27m fee in 2020. He will be delighted at getting back into the Spain squad but what's next for him at club level is the big question.

Of the two I think Gnonto would be the one you're looking to keep and give real importance next season. The last part of the campaign was a strange one for him, it looked as if something had gone on because on the pitch he didn't at all look like he did earlier on, midseason, when things weren't going great for the team but he was the one making magic happen and standing out. We didn't quite see that in the last month or two.

Getting him back on track, making him feel important and getting back to the Premier League together would be the ideal plan for Leeds.

There will be interest in him back home in Serie A for sure. It was always strange that they let him go in the first place, not only Inter Milan who he left for Zurich, but other clubs who were aware of him. Clearly Napoli have a number of extremely talented players who will be sought after by the Premier League outfits and other big European clubs, so they will then look to reinvest accordingly. Others might also consider him an ideal addition given his abilities, the experience he has for his age and his place in the Italy squad. But for Leeds, it will be all about selling him the dream of being an important and integral part of restoring an historic club back to the top flight, where he undoubtedly wants to play. What he decides to do will be a big, big call for his career.

If we could also keep hold of Tyler Adams, he would be a player you can build things around. That would be huge. He's a quality operator, a leader on the field and we saw how much we missed him towards the end of the season. He clearly understands what it means to play in the middle for Leeds United. Dropping down a league was likely never in his plan and he, like Gnonto, could have lots of potential suitors as well but you would like to think the club will do everything to convince him to stay.

In the defensive corp, Max Wober is the one you would pinpoint. Since he arrived in January he has been good, he has the attitude, the vocal nature we need and he would be an extremely important player to rely on. There will be lots of games in the Championship when you just need to stand up and fight, rather than just letting your footballing superiority become apparent, and he is the type to be able to do that.

The players who helped us get promoted have taken on new importance since relegation, too. Looking at the last few years, the likes of Liam Cooper and Luke Ayling have done fantastically well and been great servants but when it came to discussing how Leeds would progress up the Premier League and in which areas they could improve, it was in their positions. Yet when they have been out of the team it has been noticeable how much their character has been missed. We've been found wanting without them. Their experience of winning the Championship and what they are like around the club will make them invaluable as we look to go again and get back out at the first attempt.