Michael O'Neill believes that Gavin Whyte will be moving to England this summer.

Whyte had an excellent season with Crusaders in the Northern Ireland league as they won the title on the final day. The young winger played a major role in this because he scored 21 goals and assisted seven in 32 games.

Therefore, abroad was always likely due to him being too good for the division. It earned him his first senior call-up to the national team with Michael O'Neill clearly impressed with what he had seen.

This is what he had to say about Whyte's future as quoted by Leeds Live: "We have watched Gavin Whyte for the last three years. This season he has been exceptional.

"He's on the verge of a move to England and we hope this inclusion helps him.

"Also, should he get that opportunity to go into full-time football he’s equipped to hit the ground running."

The Verdict

There is a strong Northern Ireland contingent at Leeds due to Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Stuart Dallas both being starters there. This is likely to have a strong influence on whether he moves because it will ease his transition into the squad which can be hard for a player joining another league.

Leeds need to improve in wide areas with Dallas being one of the few capable players in that role, although he has been played in a variety of positions this season. Whyte is obviously talented, but it's unlikely that he will have a major impact in his first season because the shift in divisions will require a lot of adjusting.

Even so, this is promising news for the Whites as O'Neill is obviously close to the player and knows what is going on.