Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has warned the club that teenager Alfie McCalmont may need "a little bit of protection" if he is to be used in the first team this season.

The 19-year-old has progressed through the Whites academy system and turned some heads with his impressive performance in the 5-0 pre-season victory against York City.

The midfielder is yet to make his senior debut at the club but played an important role in the under-23s side last season, helping them to win the Professional Development League North.

McCalmont caught the eye of many Leeds fans in the York City game, with some predicting he could feature for the first-team this season.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan echoed the thoughts of many of the fans but suggested that the club should be careful to ease him into senior football.

He said: “Right now, this is experimenting, giving these young players the chance to see what they can do and if they can perform with the first team.

“It’s going to be a fantastic experience no matter what comes of this young man. He’s there, he’s already shone, he’s already put himself into the fans’ thoughts as well so he’s doing his part.

“You can never say never because we didn’t have a huge squad last season. We saw the introduction of younger players and that’s the sort of thing Marcelo Bielsa wants, he puts his trust in them and that’s why we have the academy and that’s why it’s so successful.

“Kalvin (Phillips) got a lot of flak from the fans when he first started, maybe a little bit of protection on this young man, introductions from the bench, in certain situations where we’re comfortably winning a game where we can introduce him.”

The Verdict

It is early days but his performances for the under-23s and in pre-season indicate that McCalmont is likely to be the latest in a long line of academy graduates to make the first team.

The Northern Irishman is a versatile central midfielder who has been utilised in both holding and attacking midfield by under-23s coach Carlos Corberán and could provide cover for all three of the central midfield roles in Bielsa's preferred 4-1-4-1 formation.

McCalmont will surely be eyeing up the route to the first team taken by fellow academy graduates Jack Clarke and Kalvin Phillips.

Leeds are a big club with a passionate fan base and Whelan makes a strong point about the importance of protecting the young man, especially given the abuse that Phillips had to endure early on.