Tyneside-born Leif Davis switched the North East for Morecambe in 2016, before signing for Leeds United in 2018. The 20-year-old has made 12 appearances for Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa but only a handful of starts, including just one in league football almost two years ago.
Davis has bided his time in the Under-23 setup and impressed throughout the campaign this season, earning himself a place in the first-team's matchday squads on seven occasions.
He made his Premier League bow against Manchester City earlier this year, not exactly an easy game to be thrown into, but Marcelo Bielsa has never been one to think too deeply about a player's age if he deems them good enough.
The club's present defensive crisis could have a positive effect on Davis' first-team chances though, with deputy left-backs Stuart Dallas and Ezgjan Alioski stretched and split between different positions, Davis is slowly but surely rising up through the pecking order.
Alioski was withdrawn from his left-back posting at half-time during the 2-1 defeat by West Ham United, and Dallas fared not much better filling the North Macedonian's role in the second half.
This week, Davis was given 45 minutes in Leeds U-23's 3-2 victory over Aston Villa, but was similarly hooked at half-time. This decision was not in light of his performance, rather that he was possibly being protected ahead of potential first-team involvement this week against Newcastle United.
Still speaking with a broad Geordie accent on his regular Twitch gaming streams, Davis is North East born-and-bred and a first start against boyhood side Newcastle United would be some story, and honour for the 20-year-old.
Given the defensive situation, meaning Dallas is likely to start at right-back again, and the possibility that Bielsa will not call on Alioski this week, Davis could find himself in from the beginning.
It would not be before time either; Davis has played regularly for the U-23s throughout the duration of his two-and-a-half years at the club, becoming one of the junior squad's most trusted members.
Davis could contribute to attacking phases well, and it is unlikely Newcastle will have done their homework on the youngster ahead of the fixture due to his peripheral first-team role.
Due to the nature of Newcastle's typical tactical setup away from home, Davis would not be engaged in an awful lot of defensive work either, which would play to his natural strengths as an attacking full-back.
The Magpies do pose a threat on the break however, which is where Davis' speed may come in handy if the likes of Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin find themselves leading a counter-attack.
Either way, his half-time substitution in the U-23s game this week indicates there will be some level of involvement against Newcastle, even if it is only making the matchday squad.
