OPINION
Young midfielder Alfie McCalmont has got himself noticed by Marcelo Bielsa this season.
The 19-year-old has made two appearances in the Carabao Cup and has made the bench twice in the Championship.
He put in another brilliant shift in the Under-23s on Sunday, after breaking into Carlos Corberan’s side in the 18/19 season.
According to FocusOnLeeds, he made 76 successful passes in the 0-0 draw with Bristol City (89.4% success rate), won two tackles and made three clearances and three take-ons.
According to WyScout, in his two senior appearances for Leeds this season he’s hit a hugely impressive 93.9% pass success rate, made 6 passes to the final third (80% accuracy), 3.65 interceptions and 2.43 clearances per 90 minutes.
It’s a small sample size at the moment but McCalmont has been performing consistently in the Under-23s and that’s convinced Bielsa to give him his first-team shot.
He’s also impressed enough to train with the senior Northern Ireland squad this summer and was called up to the Under-21s this week.
McCalmont can play either as a holding midfielder in the Kalvin Phillips mould, or in a more attacking position, and that’s where he could make an impact this season. His range of passing is superb and he’s always looking to get forward. He’s an ideal Bielsa player.
It won’t be easy to break into the first team. Bielsa has a huge array of attacking talent at his disposal and Phillips is the lynchpin of the Leeds side. However, the Championship is a gruelling league and strength in depth will be hugely important as the season progresses.
We think McCalmont could be the next Under-23 star to make the big breakthrough into the senior team.