Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan has urged Marcelo Bielsa to name midfielder Jamie Shackleton in the starting line-up when the Whites host Nottingham Forest later today.

Leeds will be hoping they can use the City Ground meeting to spark an upturn in form following three defeats in their last four league matches, with the Yorkshire club now at risk of dropping outside of the top two later today.

Bielsa has needed to manage without midfield kingpin Kalvin Phillips in the last two games following his red card against QPR, and the Leeds boss has opted to move natural Stuart Dallas into midfield in his place.

However, Whelan has now advised Bielsa to instead opt for Leeds academy product Shackleton in the central midfield role, despite the 20-year-old having only played two minutes of league action since early October.

“Quite frankly, I’d have played him (Shackleton) in the Kalvin Phillips role, I think that suits him,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“You’re always going to make mistakes, whether that’s Kalvin Phillips or Shackleton or Stuart Dallas who plays in that role.

“I think he gives you energy, he gives you tenacity, you can play Dallas in the right-back position which I think has been his best position at the minute, he’s been fantastic there this year. It’s a difficult choice for Marcelo Bielsa."

Shackleton has made a total of eight appearances for the Whites this campaign after being handed his senior breakthrough by Bielsa in the 2018/19 season.

The midfielder's most recent outing saw him make a short cameo during the 3-2 win over Millwall last week.

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The Verdict

This would be a bold move from Bielsa given Shackleton's lack of senior playing time in recent matches, but I can't see him opting for the 20-year-old in a pivotal clash such as this one.

There can be no doubt that the Argentine does trust Shackleton given he has not been afraid to use him in the first team over the last year, but I can't really see the midfielder getting the nod in this match.

Shackleton should definitely be named on the bench and must be under consideration for a substitutes' role later in the game, but I think it would represent a bit too much risk from the start.