Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has given his honest thoughts on the performance of Jamie Shackleton during the Whites 1-0 win against Derby on Saturday, reports Beren Cross of Leeds Live. 

Shackleton replaced the injured Adam Forshaw on the 24th minute and stepped up impressively although Bielsa says he was not surprised.

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"I couldn't say I was surprised," he told his pre-match press conference on Monday.

"Shackleton adapted immediately to the needs of the game, but he already showed he was a player with big character."

After a closely thought first half at Pride Park, Leeds took the lead just before the hour mark when Jack Harrison's excellent pass was slotted home by Kemar Roofe.

The visitors survived immense pressure, some penalty controversy and got away with a red-card decision before the final whistle finally blew.

In the other semi-final it was Aston Villa who took the advantage into their second-leg against West Brom after triumphing 2-1 at Villa Park.

The verdict

Not only did Shackleton adequately replace Forshaw, but he improved the team noticeably following his introduction.

He added much more energy to the side and ultimately played a big part in the Whites win.

For him to have Bielsa's public, and probably private, praise ringing in his ears will be massive for him and will only help Leeds in the second leg.