Leeds United defender Laurens De Bock is set to be handed a stunning lifeline by manager Paul Heckingbottom after being cast out from the first team at the end of last season, according to a report.
Leeds Live claim that the 25-year-old, who was a January signing from Club Brugge, will be given a second chance after failing to impress in his first couple of months at Elland Road, having managed to make just seven appearances since his signing.
The Belgian left back was originally dropped in February and managed to make just one more outing, coming in March, before finding himself completely excluded from the senior side for the rest of the campaign, with not a single squad appearance to his name.
However, even with the emergence of Tom Pearce, it is stated De Bock will be given another opportunity by Heckingbottom come August, which will come as a shock to many considering he was so out of favour a month ago.
OPINION
Fans will not be too sure about giving the Belgian full back another chance and it could well be a recipe for disaster. He performed adequately for some matches but then found the pace and physicality of the Championship overwhelm him, as he put in a number of sub par displays. The impressive emergence of Pearce as a first team option should really mean De Bock is shipped out and another comes in as his replacement, but Heckingbottom will have his reasons for keeping him around. Perhaps he is hoping that the summer can help the 25-year-old get used to the cut and thrust of England’s second tier and then give him another chance. If he fails though, and the Whites have not got another new body in, then it will go down as a huge mistake, which is the last thing the manager needs when he is under so much pressure. At least De Bock knows his fate lies in his own hands.