New head of football operations explains why Leeds United can be ‘excited’ about £5m teenager

The Whites’ teenage midfielder joined last summer in a £5 million transfer from Manchester City, making his professional debut in the Carabao Cup as well as appearances in the Premier League and FA Cup.

Gyabi predominantly featured for Leeds’ promotion-winning Under-21 side, however, where he demonstrated that Premier League 2 football was somewhat beneath him.

Loan interest in January saw a since-promoted League One club enquire for Gyabi’s services but a decision was taken for the 19-year-old to remain at Thorp Arch.

This season, while a number of young players have been informed they are free to find suitable domestic loans in the English Football League pyramid, Gyabi is not understood to be one of them. He is expected to remain around the first-team in 2023/24, a genuine contender for a decent portion of minutes in the middle of the park.

While Ethan Ampadu has been signed to play at the base of Daniel Farke’s midfield, Tyler Adams remains injured and could be out of action until the first international break of the season, while Adam Forshaw and Weston McKennie bid farewell to Elland Road at the end of last season.

Jamie Shackleton, Lewis Bate and Archie Gray are also likely to feature in Farke’s midfield pairing at some stage as minutes are parcelled out, but Gyabi could feasibly rack up a number of starts, particularly at the beginning of the campaign.

The player is highly regarded in England’s youth age groups having been appointed Under-19s captain by coach Simon Rusk and received a maiden call-up to Ian Foster’s Under-20s squad for the World Cup over the summer.

It is a sentiment shared by key decision-makers at Thorp Arch, too.

New head of football operations Adam Underwood values the former Manchester City and Millwall academy product, making particular reference to the teenager whilst discussing last season’s promotion-winning Under-21s.

“We’ve got a great depth of talent and I believe wholeheartedly that we’ll benefit from that in future,” then-academy boss Underwood said.

"Having been with us now for a year, he’s [done] nothing but impressed in every sense on the pitch and off the pitch.

"[He’s a] great character and somebody that I think like many of those Under-21s that we have, we can be excited about.”

Gyabi started in Oslo as Leeds took on Manchester United in friendly action earlier this month, before adding to his pre-season minutes from the bench in the 2-0 defeat by AS Monaco last weekend.

He is in line to feature this week as United face Nottingham Forest and Heart of Midlothian.