Leeds have got off to a great start to the season but Noel Whelan is concerned that the amount of loan players in the squad is coming back to bite them.

Due to FA regulations, teams can only field up to five loan players in their 18-man matchday squad, and that means that some Leeds loanees will have to miss out.

Jack Clarke was the player dropped from the squad in Leeds' match against Brentford, and Whelan is worried that such an omission could cause discontent from the player.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: "There is a bit of an issue there for Leeds. Someone has to forfeit a place on the bench because of the rule, and Jack Clarke is the one missing out.

"This is the choice of Marcelo Bielsa, and it’s something he is going to have to carefully manage. Clarke is a big weapon to have on the bench and is a brilliant player to be able to call upon when you’re chasing a game or opening up defences on the counterattack.

"Leeds are betting off having a matchwinner like Clarke. He will be fuming that he’s not being picked, and you can’t blame him for that. I can’t see it changing soon, unless one of the loan players gets injured."

Along with Clarke, Leeds have Jack Harrison, Helder Costa and Eddie Nketiah on loan, all of whom have played a valuable role so far this season - with the latter two linking up well for Leeds' winning goal against The Bees last night.

Ben White is the other loanee to have played a key role this season, leading Whelan to suggest that sub keeper Illan Meslier should be the player to make way for Clarke, who will otherwise see his role diminish considerably.

The Verdict

Leeds' transfer policy is coming back to harm them somewhat, and the decision to sign Helder Costa on loan now seems quite strange since they have committed to signing him permanently at the end of the season.

With him and Harrison in the squad there is no place for Clarke in the starting line-up, and his development will suffer from not getting enough game time.

That will also frustrate his parent club Tottenham and could damage the relationship between the two clubs, or lead Spurs to recall him from his loan spell.