Only 12 months ago there were huge calls at Leeds United for Tom Pearce to be promoted to the first-team, with the left-sided player thriving within the club’s under-23 setup.

Leeds dropping out of the promotion race around this time last year allowed Paul Heckingbottom to hand Pearce a debut in March 2018, without too much pressure on the youngster.

Pearce is capable of playing either left-back or on the left of midfield, but despite impressing in five appearances under Heckingbottom, he hasn’t kicked on, with many of his under-23 teammates moving ahead of him under Marcelo Bielsa.

That was further highlighted yesterday when Bielsa named a young Leeds squad to take on QPR in the third round of the FA Cup. Pearce, 20, was amongst the substitutes, but was Bielsa’s first port of call at half-time as he looked to freshen things up.

However, Pearce managed only 34 minutes before Kun Temenuzhkov replaced him, as Bielsa’s side chased a game they’d fallen 2-1 behind in.

It wasn’t the first time Pearce has been axed after entering the field as a substitute, with Bielsa doing the same against Nottingham Forest back in October.

That kind of situation repeating itself can’t be helping the youngster and his development, with Leeds needing to be careful how they handle a player they rated enough to hand a long-term contract to back in the summer.

Pearce is still young and could have a future at Elland Road, but it only feels right for the left-back to move on this month and go in search of consistent opportunities.

Barry Douglas, Gaetano Berardi, Stuart Dallas and Ezgjan Alioski all cover left-back, whilst Leif Davis now appears to be ahead of Pearce in the pecking order. Leeds won’t be short if he moves on this month and this latest Bielsa snub needs to be the catalyst for a loan.

12 months ago there was a real buzz about Pearce, but that’s not there anymore. A fresh start elsewhere in 2019 could help him rediscover his best and give him hope of a Leeds future.