Football League World

Danny Mills expects key Leeds United player to be left out after new signing

By Jacob Potter

Leeds United have recently confirmed the signing of young Brighton defender, Ben White, who arrives on a season-long loan deal.

White hasn’t got a considerable amount of first-team experience under his belt, and will be keen to establish himself in the Leeds starting XI heading into the new season.

But his arrival will cause Marcelo Bielsa a welcome selection dilemma ahead of their first game of the season against Bristol City in August.

Bielsa was heavily reliant on the defensive pairing of Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson for much of last year’s promotion challenge, which Leeds eventually fell short in after a defeat to Derby County in their play-off semi-final.

Injuries forced the Leeds boss to play a number of players out of position, as well as relying on academy players such as Aapo Halme to step up.

In an interview with Football Insider, former Leeds defender, Danny Mills feels as though White could replace Cooper or Jansson in the starting XI next season.

"You need that competition. If there’s no competition for places, even the best can get complacent. We saw last season that Leeds were short in that position, and Kalvin Phillips had to drop back for a few months when Cooper was injured. "Cooper is a good, steady player. He had some very good performances last season and the odd mistake here and there. He has improved a lot since he joined Leeds, but you have to keep improving every season. If you stand still, you go backwards. "He could easily start the season on the sidelines, especially if he’s not performing to the level Bielsa wants in training."

Bielsa will be hoping to add to his squad before the new league campaign gets underway, as they look to make a long-awaited return back into the top-flight.

The Verdict:

I’m not sure I agree with Mills here, as I think White will be used on a rotational basis at best.

Cooper and Jansson are key players for Leeds and I would be very surprised if Bielsa was to drop one of them from the starting XI for an unproven, young defender in White.

I think he’ll have to remain patient for now, and take his chance in the side when presented with the opportunity.