Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills has backed the club to extend the contracts of their players whose contracts with the club are set to expire in June, if the season is extended beyond that point.

With all football in England currently postponed until at least 3rd April, it was announced on Wednesday night that all EFL clubs are committed to bringing the current campaign to a full conclusion.

That does mean that some games could be played beyond the expiration of those contracts, although Mills believes that Leeds - and indeed every other club - should honour those deals by retaining the services of their current squad for their remaining games of the season.

Speaking to Football Insider about the issue, Mills said: “I would expect that all contracts are honoured until the season is finished. That would be the most sensible thing in football.

“The argument would be people saying they have already signed a pre-contract – but you cannot go and play for a team when the season has not finished.

"There will be arguments where people say – what if the player gets injured? But a player could get injured in training tomorrow."

Discussing the problems that could arise for players if they were to be released from their contracts before the seasons ends in June, Mills continued: “If it comes to the end of June, a player refuses to play, they will not get paid.

"If the season goes onto September they will have to suffer three or four months without getting paid.

"Is it fair that clubs can go, ‘You are binned,’ to players out of contract in June? When they cannot sign for another club until the season is over. It is a two-way street."

As things stand, there are currently five Leeds players who are set to see their time at Elland Road come to an end in the summer.

Goalkeeper Illan Meslier, defender Ben White and attackers Jack Harrison and Jean-Kevin Augustin are all on-loan at the club until the summer, while long-serving defender Gaetano Berardi will see his current Leeds contract expire at the end of June.

The Verdict

I think Mills is absolutely spot on here.

When you consider the contributions that players who are set to be out of contract in the summer - both at Leeds and elsewhere - have made to their clubs over the years, it would seem wrong for them just to be shut out in the cold come June, particularly in such difficult times as these.

Fortunately, it is hard to something such as that happening, particularly with loan players, for whom clubs may well have paid some not insignificant loan fees to secure the temporary services of those players, so they will want to get their money's worth in that respect.

Indeed, for Leeds in particular, with the impact that a number of those players set to leave the club in the summer have had on their push for promotion this season, you imagine they themselves will be keen to retain the services of those players anyway.