Cameron Borthwick-Jackson made his league debut for Leeds in the draw against Preston on Saturday and earned rave reviews from Noel Whelan in the process.
The 20-year-old defender moved to Elland Road this summer on loan from Manchester United and made his Whites debut at centre-back in the mid-week cup victory over Port Vale.
Thomas Christiansen turned to him again at the weekend as Gaetano Berardi was ruled out though injury.
Borthwick-Jackson was used in his more accustomed left-back position against Preston and completed 82 minutes in the Championship match.
The full-back showed his attacking prowess for the Yorkshire giants and produced some dangerous crosses from the left flank.
Ex-Leeds player Whelan was full of praise for the defender after the game and highlighted his effectiveness going forward.
“He defends very well, he competes in the air, he’s got a good stature about him, loads of energy,” Whelan told BBC Radio Leeds. “He likes to get forward into those final third areas and he’s got a great delivery on him, he was one of the few players that did put in some balls from that left-hand side.”
Borthwick-Jackson is a highly-rated talent at Old Trafford and has joined Leeds on a season-long loan to try gain regular football.
The Englishman has made 14 senior appearances at United, but doesn’t feature in the immediate plans of manager Jose Mourinho.
He endured a frustrating loan spell at Wovles last season in the Championship where he struggled to make an impact, but it appears that Elland Road seems a much better fit for the defender.
OPINION
Leeds will want to find a place for Berardi in their defence, but it may be Borthwick-Jackson who cements his starting XI position as the left-back. The loan star gives the Whites a better balance with his left foot and has shown during his little time at Elland Road that he has quality. He proved to be a brilliant attacking threat and can be strong supply line for Chris Wood in attack, with the pair nearly combining against Preston for a goal. Borthwick-Jackson should turn out to be a really shrewd piece of business and has meant Leeds fans can quickly move on from summer departure Charlie Taylor.