Marcelo Bielsa has been praising midfielder Jamie Shackleton after his emergence as a first team player this season.

The 19-year-old, who operates in defence or at wing back, has broken into Bielsa's first team plans with five starts in all competitions, and a further six outings from the bench.

In total he's appeared nine times in the Championship as the Whites have stormed to the top of the table and appears to have a solid future under the Argentinian manager.

He caught the eye this weekend in the 1-0 win at Bolton which put them clear of Norwich at the top of the table and Bielsa told the Yorkshire Evening Post he sees the maturity with which the former Under 23 star plays.

“Jamie has a maturity which does not correspond to his age. He plays like a veteran but he’s only 19."

He went on to reveal he felt he was more than adequate in covering for the injured players during Leeds ongoing fitness crisis.

“He can attack by surprise, he defends well and when he moves he has explosive movements. With these kind of movements he can surprise his opponent and he looks for space at the right time. He’s covering very well for the absence of Ayling and Stuart Dallas.”

This weekend see's the Whites face a big test against a resurgent Aston Villa, as they look to end 2018 on the top of the Championship table.

The Verdict

The strength of the younger players coming through at Leeds is incredibly exciting. Do they really have much better players than everyone else at Under 23 level, or does the manager just give them trust and confidence to play?

Whatever the secret, each one who emerges is like a new signing and you wouldn't put it past Leeds to forget new faces in the January window and just keep promoting these solid and dependable stars of the future.