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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Speaking to episode 65 of the Inside Elland Road podcast, produced by Yorkshire Evening Post, Graham Smyth has had his say on one of the major Leeds talking points in Jack Clarke.
What’s he said?
Leeds were unbeaten in 2019/20 before the visit of Stoke on Tuesday evening.
The Whites defeated the Potters in convincing fashion by winning 3-0 at the weekend but this game was entirely different.
Marcelo Bielsa made eight changes to his starting XI, as Clarke started on the left-hand side but failed to really do much.
He earned a match rating of five from YEP which demonstrated his torrid evening.
The teenager was dragged off at half time as Smyth then provided his thoughts on the situation. Speaking to the Inside Elland Road podcast, he said:
“There are players with a little bit of question marks over. Jack Clarke last night didn’t really do himself many favours and isn’t getting much of a look in at the moment. That’s one to watch.”
The Clarke conundrum
Clarke was one of the most promising youngsters at Leeds last season, finding himself involved in four goals across league action despite starting just four times in the Championship.
However, those minimal starts made it somewhat of a surprise that he actually then departed the club.
Tottenham snapped him up for £10m this summer before the teenager was sent back on loan to the Whites in search of regular first-team football.
That hasn’t been granted and he’s found himself down the pecking order behind more senior professionals.
The youngster has appeared for the U23s but his only senior minutes have come in Cup action. He started against Salford, albeit at right wing-back before being shifted over to the opposite side in the second-round.
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It was another frustrating performance, though, as fans took to Twitter after the game to slam the 18-year-old.
Some said that he should head back to Spurs and it wouldn’t be a great surprise if that measure was taken in January.
After all, now Leeds are out of the Carabao Cup, his chances of attaining minutes in Bielsa’s XI seem even slimmer.
A temporary move back to Leeds seemed the best option for his career at that moment in time but as Smyth says, he’s done himself no favours. Maybe heading to London would now be a better route.
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