'Wasn’t quite suited' - Leeds United favourite discusses why player left Elland Road in the summer

Former Leeds United player Jermaine Beckford has said Sam Greenwood ‘wasn’t quite suited’ to the Whites. He was loaned out to fellow Championship side Preston North End to get some game time in the last transfer window.

The 22-year-old has since made 14 appearances in all competitions for the Lilywhites since his switch to Deepdale and has scored five goals. The Lancashire outfit have an option to buy him permanently next summer and will have a decision to make.

Ex-Leeds man Beckford has said as a pundit on Sky Sports: “He’s a very creative player but his set pieces are fantastic. His distribution is really clever. While he was at Leeds, in PL2, goals and assists, every single game, they were coming thick and fast, on a regular basis.

“He didn’t get the same opportunities at Leeds, he just wasn’t quite suited. The pressure at Preston is not going to be as much as it is at Leeds, the expectation is not going to be as much as it is at Leeds United.”

Leeds signed the England youth international back in 2020. Prior to his switch to Elland Road, he had spells at both Sunderland and Arsenal. The North East-born man has since played 35 matches for the Whites’ first-team and has chipped in with a single goal. He was a key player for the development squad before stepping up into the senior set-up. Greenwood spent the last campaign with Middlesbrough and fired five goals in 38 outings under the guidance of Michael Carrick before he then went back to Thorp Arch for pre-season before Preston came calling.

In a recent interview with the Lancashire Evening Post, he has been coy regarding his long-term future: “I am not really thinking about it just yet. I have just got to see what happens and obviously keep my performances up. It is just opportunities. If I went back there, it depends if I get those opportunities from the manager. As I say, I haven't really thought about it yet. I have just got to see what happens and focus on the present.

"Yeah, it is class. All the lads are brilliant and the manager is top, so yeah, I am loving it. It is a good group and we are all really close. We have banter every day, play games and stuff, so yeah, I love it."

After securing his switch to Preston earlier this year, he said: “I’m over the moon. I can’t wait to get started and meet all the lads, and just to work hard to see where we can get. It went really quickly and when I knew that Ryan [Lowe] wanted me, I believe that he’s a manager that can get the best out of me.

“I know how good he is and he’s a young up-and-coming manager so it gives me confidence to play under him. I can’t wait to play at Deepdale in front of the fans and get them off their seats.”