Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan has backed Mallik Wilks to return to the club and become a star.
Wilks spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Doncaster Rovers, scoring 16 goals and claiming 12 assists in 55 appearances for the League One club.
And Whelan, who made 48 appearances scoring seven times for the Whites, believes the 20-year-old can become a star under Marcelo Bielsa’s shrewd management.
"I’m a big believer that if you send a player out on loan it’s because the manager doesn’t think he’s right for the football club, but Wilks, he is an exception because he is a goalscorer,” Whelan told Football Insider.
“He has a decent scoring record in League One and can maybe force his way into the Leeds team. We only have two natural strikers, Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford, and we need more than that.
“Wilks has scored a lot of goals at Doncaster, got well into double figures, and has got really good experience out on loan in the last two seasons.
“He can play down the middle and on both flanks, and that’s what Bielsa likes. He could be a really good player for Leeds United, Bielsa can make him a star.
“I know it’s a different level, playing in League One compared to the Championship, but Wilks is young and will get better. He’s definitely got something.”
