This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Leeds United are reportedly keen on signing Derby County midfielder Jason Knight, as per Football Insider.

Knight has been a key player under Wayne Rooney this season, making 24 appearances across all competitions and scoring three goals.

The 19-year-old broke into the first-team under Phillip Cocu, and it has been a fine couple of years for the young Irishman, who was handed his international debut in October.

West Ham and Burnley have also been linked with Knight, with Leeds United now believed to be showing an interest.

Able to play out wide or in central midfield, here, we discuss Leeds United's reported interest in the midfielder...

Alfie Burns

There was a lot of hype around Louie Sibley and Max Bird at Derby, but Knight is actually the midfield player that looks to have the most quality.

For Leeds, he’d be a great signing.

Knight is young and fits the profile of what Leeds look for in transfers. There’s room for him to develop and he also offers an exciting young option in the first-team.

His skillset means he’d be perfect for one of the advanced midfield positions ahead of Kalvin Phillips, easing the burden on Mateusz Klich and providing a like-for-like alternative to someone like Jamie Shackleton.

For me, it’s not a deal to do this January, but one that should definitely be explored as we move into the summer.

Phil Spencer

This is a typical Leeds United transfer link, and I love it.

Jason Knight is a player who looks set for an incredibly bright future in the game after bursting onto the scene with Derby County this term.
Not only that, he's been able to establish himself as a first team regular under Wayne Rooney.
Marcelo Bielsa thrives on signing young talent who are still some way from their peak and developing them into players who outwork and outthink their opponents.
Given the midfielder's reputation as something of a workhorse already I think he'd be a perfect fit for Leeds.
Whether Derby will want him to leave remains to be seen, but if they can agree a deal then this could be an excellent deal from a Leeds United point of view.

Can you name each of these 17 ex-Derby County players just by looking at these 3 clues?

 

Jacob Potter

I think this would be a smart addition to the Leeds squad.

I wouldn't expect Knight to go straight into their starting XI, but he's certainly a player that could thrive under the management of Marcelo Bielsa.

We've already seen with the likes of Pascal Struijk and Jamie Shackleton what Bielsa can do with younger players, and how they can develop into regular first-team players, so signing Knight would be a smart move by the club.

We've already seen glimpses of his exciting potential whilst with Derby County this season, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was tempted by a move to Elland Road, with Leeds currently playing their football in the Premier League.

This move ticks all the right boxes for Knight, especially given that Derby are struggling for any sort of momentum this season in the Championship.