Here are your Leeds United morning headlines for Monday, June 7.
Niall Huggins identified as next breakthrough youngster
Paul Robinson has backed 19-year-old Niall Huggins to become the latest academy graduate to breakthrough into Marcelo Bielsa's first-team squad.
The attacker was recently name-checked by Kalvin Phillips as one of the under-23 players to watch out for and Robinson believes he could earn his chance in the senior squad next season.
“Huggins is a very good player who’s performed really well in the Under-23s this season. I’ve seen a bit of him actually. The Leeds academy has always been strong and it’s always produced players – it’s even been known to produce the odd dodgy goalkeeper!" He told MOT Leeds News.
“In all seriousness though, Huggins has been very good. In fact the Under-23s last year and the year before have been particularly strong and there will be a number of them who will be ready for the first team over the next year or so.”
Oliver Sarkic discusses Leeds exit
Former Leeds United forward Oliver Sarkic has discussed his exit from Elland Road and the strict training regimes put in place by Marcelo Bielsa.
The 22-year-old, now with Burton Albion, left the club last summer after failing to make a senior appearance during his spell at the club but has admitted he would have loved the opportunity to work more with the Argentine manager.
“Everything started very well, I had a good season in U23, a new coach arrived. And again, I suffered a big injury. Marcelo Bielsa arrived and at that time, at the beginning, it was a question that I would integrate with the first-team, but I was not physically ready yet," he told Belgian outlet Walfoot.
“I did two training sessions with Bielsa, but he didn’t really know me, I think. I just saw that his methods were very different from what I could know, very strict. He’s a great coach, I really would have liked to work with him.”
Bielsa masterclass vs Manchester United recalled
Leeds United fans are gearing themselves up for the imminent return of Championship football and will be hoping for a Marcelo Bielsa masterclass in steering them towards the Premier League.
Promotion would see Leeds finally return to the same division as arch-rivals Manchester United, resuming one of the great rivalries of English football.
That could see Bielsa roll back the years to deliver a masterclass at Old Trafford, just like he did in the Europa League in 2012 while in charge of Athletic Bilbao.
The result, which saw Manchester United knocked out of Europe, gave English fans their first real taste of Bielsa and that night has now been recalled.
