Burton Albion forward Oliver Sarkic has described his time with Leeds United, saying that Marcelo Bielsa was a 'strict manager' but that he would loved to have worked with him some more.

Sarkic, 22, joined Leeds United on-loan in September 2017, before signing permanently the following January. But he would never make a first-team appearance for the club, spending the entirety of last season on-loan at Spanish side Barakaldo.

The Montenegro U21 international then went on-trial with Burton last summer, before signing a permanent deal at the start of August.

Speaking to Belgian outlet Walfoot, Sarkic described his initial Leeds experience, and the subsequent arrival of Bielsa ahead of last season.

"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.

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“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 was appointed Leeds manager in June 2018, replacing Paul Heckingbottom. He brought about some radical changes at the club which almost saw them into the Premier League last year, only to fall short in the play-offs.

This season is a different story though. Leeds went into the temporary halt having won their last five league fixtures to nil, and sitting pretty in 1st-place of the Championship table.

Sarkic isn't the only one who's been exiled during Bielsa's reign though - he's developed a reputation for being somewhat brutal in his treatment of some players, whilst staying loyal to those who've played the most under him.

The verdict

Sarkic looked to be a decent player in the Leeds development squad, but he's had a pretty underwhelming season with Burton. He's scored just three goals in League One this season but at 22, Sarkic could yet make his return to the Championship, and show Bielsa what he missed out on.