Paul Heckingbottom has praised the work his successor Marcelo Bielsa is doing at Leeds United, especially with regards to bringing through young players.
He also suggested too many senior players stopped him doing the same during his short stint in charge of the Whites.
The out of work manager, who spent four months as Leeds boss in early 2018, gave an interview with TalkSport during the winter in which he reflected on his time at Elland Road.
Heckingbottom, 42, left Barnsley to join Andrea Radrizzani’s project at Leeds after Thomas Christiansen was relieved of his duties midway through the 2018-19 campaign.
After he won just four of 16 games in charge, the club decided to go in a different direction in the summer of 2018, pulling off a coup to get Marcelo Bielsa in the dugout.
“There is a real sense this has to be the season for lots of reasons, for Marcelo, for Andrea, for the fans,” told TalkSport.
“There seems to be a belief. So close last season, but they certainly need to get through.”
"Leeds had too many players blocking the way for the young talent." ⚪️
"They're playing a real attacking style now."
Paul Heckingbottom on his time as #LUFC manager.
Don't miss the EFL Preview Show, Friday's on @talkSPORT2 with @Screwfix. pic.twitter.com/oYWJEWnE3H— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) November 29, 2019
“In terms of the young talent, one problem Leeds had when I was there, they had too many players blocking the way for the young talent - Jack Clarke, Jamie Shackleton,” he said.
“It was only at the end of the season we did the trip to Burma and we put those guys in the squad you could see the talent. For too long they had too many bodies in front of them and that’s changed.
“He’s shown a real willingness to put these young players in and they’re repaying him, because they’re playing a real attacking style of energetic football, which everyone’s enjoying.”
Bielsa has helped bring through a number of talented players since he was appointed, with Leif Davis, Jack Harrison, Will Huffer, Tyler Roberts, Aapo Halme, Leif Davis, Kun Temenuzhkov, Clarke Oduor and Jordan Stevens handed senior debuts alongside Clarke and Shackleton last season, each of them under 21 at the time.
Clarke was sold to Tottenham for a reported £10m fee after his breakthrough season, while fellow homegrown talent Shackleton has become an important member of the first-team squad.
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