Noel Whelan has criticised Leeds United winger Jack Harrison for his performance against Derby County and has claimed that he should be dropped from the starting line-up.

Harrison is on loan at Leeds from Manchester City for the second consecutive season and has started every game in the Championship so far this term, although his performances in the past few matches have been disappointing.

The 22-year-old struggled to make an impact against Derby at the weekend and was replaced by Helder Costa in the second half, as Leeds were punished for failing to take their chances in the 1-1 draw at Elland Road.

Former Leeds striker Whelan has criticised Harrison for his recent displays and has claimed that he should be dropped from the starting line-up to make way for summer signing Costa.

“It’s time for Harrison to be dropped. He’s been poor for quite a few games now, there’s no getting away from that,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“He gets in great positions and contributes to the build-up play but his final ball is not good enough, sometimes it’s horrific. He doesn’t score enough and doesn’t create enough.

“When you’ve got a player like Helder Costa you need to get him in the team. He has far more to offer and it’s a no brainer to get him in ahead of Harrison.”

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Costa joined Leeds on a loan-to-buy deal from Wolves this summer and has impressed with his performances so far, although he is yet to start a game in the Championship.

The Verdict 

I agree with Whelan here. Harrison made a good start to the season for Leeds, but his performances over the past few games have not been good enough. He struggled again against Derby yesterday and missed a big chance in the first half.

Meanwhile, Costa is a fantastic player and he could turn out to be an excellent signing for Leeds. His performances from the bench have been very impressive and I think it's only a matter of time before he's given a chance to start games in the Championship.

Bielsa is a big fan of Harrison though and has shown great faith in him so far, so it'll be interesting to see if he's prepared to drop him from the side after his recent displays.