Alex Bruce has suggested that Jack Clarke may regret leaving Leeds United for Tottenham after his recent struggles whilst on loan with QPR. 

The winger, who came through the ranks at Thorp Arch, was a real positive for the Whites last season as they challenged for promotion before falling short in the play-offs. Clarke made 24 appearances across the campaign and played his part in some memorable moments, most notably scoring in a comeback win at Aston Villa.

Such for caught the eye, with Spurs signing the teenager for around £10m and loaning him straight back to Leeds. However, Clarke failed to get in the team earlier in the season and was sent to the R's in January, where it hasn't really worked out for him either.

Therefore, speaking to Football Insider, Bruce explained how the 19-year-old may have been too quick to leave Yorkshire permanently and suggested it wasn't the best move for his career.

"I think sometimes young lads who do well for a season and they get the chance to move, they can jump ship too early. Sometimes you need to get a couple of years experience under your belt because unless you’re an exceptionally good, young player you have peaks and troughs where you have a good season and then you have an iffy one, especially in your teens and early 20s.

"For a player to stick it out, I would always recommend that – to find your feet, level yourself really before you jump ship and keep playing."

The verdict

You can totally understand where Bruce is coming from here as we have seen countless youngsters make a big move early in their career and it doesn't work out.

Unfortunately, after a mixed past 12 months you could say Clarke is falling into that category and staying to play under Marcelo Bielsa or another year or two would surely have benefited his development.

Ultimately though, he still has time to put things right as he is only 19 but there's no denying he faces a huge task to force his way into Jose Mourinho's plans at Spurs.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.