'Who knows' - Leeds United midfielder's honest future admission with uncertain summer ahead

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Few expected the Leeds United man to have such a huge influence this season.

Joe Rothwell’s Leeds United loan spell has gone better than many expected but the midfielder is still unsure of his future beyond this season.

Rothwell has been a revelation since agreeing a season-long switch from Bournemouth to Leeds in July, featuring in all but two of his side’s 30 Championship games and starting 20 of them. The 30-year-old has been more central to Daniel Farke’s plans than even he might have imagined, owed in part to the long-term absences of both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev.

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Those injuries forced Farke to deploy an untried partnership of Rothwell and fellow summer arrival Ao Tanaka but despite their pair being initially signed to compete for minutes, they have dovetailed brilliantly. So much so that there was even some debate as to whether club captain Ampadu would get back into the midfield.

But while Rothwell will almost certainly continue to be an influential figure at Elland Road between now and May, no one can offer clarity beyond that point. His loan move to Leeds isn’t thought to include any kind of permanent option, with a return to Bournemouth the current summer outlook.

"This one [loan] has been tough because I’ve moved up without my family, my kids being in school,” Rothwell told BBC West Yorkshire Sport of his stint at Leeds. “It wasn’t just a case of moving them with me because I don’t know what’s going to happen next season. I made the decision with my wife to leave them, it’s been tough.

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“I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like to but we knew it was a sacrifice we had to make. Hopefully next season we’re back together again. It’s gone as well as it could have done, it took some time but when I got that chance I knew I could show what I’m about. It’s gone better than I could have expected. Who knows what will happen next season."

Rothwell was made to wait for a serious shot at first-team football, with none of his first seven league appearances lasting more than 27 minutes. But Gruev’s serious knee injury at Norwich City saw him get over an hour and since then, he’s been virtually ever-present.

The former Southampton loanee insisted earlier this season he did not head north to simply make up the numbers, a notion that was evident among sections of the fanbase when his signing was confirmed. And after being eased into the first-team picture by Farke - a typical approach the Whites boss takes with new arrivals - he and Leeds have been an excellent match.

“That’s probably the hardest part [settling in with training],” Rothwell added. “Coming here, you’re in hotels for the first few months trying to find somewhere to live. that’s probably the hardest part, trying to get settled but coming here, the lads and the staff were brilliant so I felt settled straight away. I found it really easy to just come in and crack on.”

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