Thomas Christiansen has revealed that he was on the verge of handing a debut to Leeds United wonderkid Jack Clarke for the team’s League Cup clash against Leicester last month.
The Elland Road manager explained that he only held back from fast-tracking the striker, who was 16 at the time, because he didn’t have a professional contract at that stage and might have caught the eye of other clubs.
Speaking at his media briefing on Friday, ahead of Leeds’ Championship clash with Barnsley, Christiansen explained that he has high hopes for Clarke, and would not exclude handing him his senior debut this season.
The news was posted on the personal Twitter accounts of BBC journalist Adam Pope and broadcaster Mark Wilson on Friday lunchtime.
Christiansen says Jack Clarke could have played in cup v Leicester but #lufc were worried in case he did well as he wasn’t under contract!
— Mark Wilson (@MarkWilsonRadio) November 24, 2017
TC says he would not exclude the possibility of 17 year old striker Jack Clarke making his senior debut at some point this season. #lufc
— Adam Pope (@apopey) November 24, 2017
The Championship giants reported on their official website on Thursday that teenage striker Clarke had marked his 17th birthday by penning a four-year deal that runs until 2021.
The youngster has been a prolific scorer this season for Leeds’ age-group teams and has been promoted to their Under-23s following a series of impressive performances.
OPINION
If there was already not enough of a buzz around rising star Clarke, it has been cranked up a few notches in the last 24 hours. First, the BBC revealed that moneybags Manchester City were trying to sign him before Leeds tied the young goal machine to his first pro deal. Now, Christiansen has made the stunning admission that he nearly played Clarke in the clash against 2016 Premier League champions Leicester, a match which Leeds lost 3-1. It is clear that Leeds are mapping out a career path for the youngster that involves first-team football in the near future. There is nothing fans like more than an academy product making waves, and the next cab off the rank could be Clarke.