OPINION
The life of a goalkeeper is a peculiar one but there will have been very few who have had such a strange start to life as young Leeds United stopper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
Following his debut all the way back in 2016 as a 20-year-old, he found himself some way down the pecking order at the start of the 2017-18 season, shipped out on loan to York City in the National League North – England’s sixth tier – in October and looking a long way from making a first team appearance.
Fast forward to March 2018 and he was starting for the Whites in the Championship, establishing himself as the club’s new number one after some shocking displays from his rivals for the role.
Having played the first half of the season as Marcelo Bielsa’s first choice he is set to find himself out of the starting XI once again, the manager confirming that arrival of Kiko Casilla will relegate him to the bench – starting this weekend against Rotherham.
Speaking to the media, via the LUFC TV app, Bielsa said: “I thought it was the right time to put Casilla in. I don’t think this will stop the improvement of Farrell. He needs to correct some mistakes.
“The skills that Farrell has we haven’t seen them so far in the games but as we see him every day in the training sessions we know his skills and what he is capable off. He will play again as a starter in the future.
“We have to contribute at a time when there are less demanding goals and we’ll take advantage of this time for him to correct what he needs to correct. He is a very good asset to the club, he’s very young, he will play as a professional for 15 years.”
Now just when does Bielsa think Leeds will be under less pressure? In the cups perhaps, but playing a part-time role is not in Peacock-Farrell’s best interests.
He has shown his worth as a Championship goalkeeper and earned himself a place in the Northern Ireland side – so why on earth would he want to sit on the bench for the foreseeable future.
With promotion on the cards this season Leeds will not be throwing him back in the deep end any time soon and Bielsa is kidding himself if he truly believes that the young talent will stick around and wait for his chance to become the first choice once again.
He is surely going to be looking towards the exit door in the near-future in order to further his career and no one could blame him as a 22-year-old with a taste for senior action.