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Eddie Gray has raves about Leeds United midfielder Jamie Shackleton, who he feels made a major difference against Derby County at the weekend.
The Whites won away at Pride Park 1-0 in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final, as Kemar Roofe scored the crucial goal inside the penalty area.
Marcelo Bielsa’s team had to deal with a first-half injury to Adam Forshaw in the centre of the park, but fortunately his replacement made an impressive impact.
Academy graduate Shackleton slotted in seamlessly to the team and offered a great attacking threat with his tireless work-rate.
The 19-year-old has been a regular in the senior squad this campaign at Elland Road and has a bright future, but he showed against Derby he may be ready now for a more permanent role.
With Forshaw ruled out of the second leg on Wednesday night, it will be intriguing to see if Shackleton has done enough to stay in the team.
“Young Jamie Shackleton came on and made a difference to the way we went forward. Went forward with real pace, he’s making runs in behind people and creating spaces. Defensively he did his job as well,”
TBR’s View:
It would be a surprise if Shackleton is left out for the second leg after making a serious impact in the last match against Derby.
He is a fearless central midfielder that added a freshness to the side and definitely has a solid grasp of the football Bielsa is trying to enforce.
There may be spells in the second leg that Leeds will have their backs against the wall and Shackleton will help provide extra defensive cover too.