Chelsea attacker Isaiah Brown has sent a message to fans after his loan spell at Leeds United had come to an end.
The 22-year-old has spent the full season on loan to the Championship club, but his and the team's season ended in heartbreak when they failed to make it to the Championship play-off final at Wembley, losing to Frank Lampard's Derby County by an aggregate score of 3-4.
"I don't know what to say, words can't describe how we feel right now," The player wrote on his official Twitter account. "I just want to say thank you for the love and support this season, even though it didn't end the way we all wanted it to. It's been a pleasure to play for this amazing club."
Ruben Loftus-Cheek's first words following surgery on ruptured Achilles tendon
Brown's season has been blighted by injury, so much so that he only actually played 11 minutes of football in a Leeds shirt, including a two minute cameo in the play-off semi-final second leg. But despite the lack of game time, the England youth player has insisted that the loan spell has been valuable to him.
"I'm sorry that I haven't played as much as I hoped this season, but that's football," he continued. "I have learnt so much this season and it's been a pleasure to have been on this journey with the boys.
"Thank you to everyone at Leeds United, the players, the staff, the fans, you will always have a place in my heart and hopefully next season you will get back to where you belong.
"Thank you for sticking with me through the difficult times, it's really appreciated."
Brown will now return to parent club Chelsea ahead of the new season, where he will be hoping to join Callum Husdon-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek as the next young player to make a breakthrough into the first team.
Reece James sends a message to the Chelsea fans about the future after making senior debut
Keep up to date with the latest Chelsea news, features and exclusives from football.london via our free WhatsApp service .
Click here to enroll or text NEWS to 07776197989 and then add the number to your phone contacts book as chelsea dot london (case sensitive, with spaces) to receive daily updates and breaking news from Oliver Harbord and the team on Chelsea.
Your phone number won't be shared with any other members of the group. Click here for more information on the service.
