Leeds United journalist Phil Hay appeared on the most recent edition of The Next Big Thing podcast from The Athletic, which looks at the ‘brightest young talents in the Premier League and beyond’ and this edition of the podcast focused on Whites winger Stuart McKinstry.
The 18-year-old joined Leeds from Scottish side Motherwell in the summer of 2019 and as per the club’s official website, he signed a new deal with Leeds back in August which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2023.
While the teenager is yet to make his first appearance for Leeds United’s first team, he is said to have been ‘a regular for the academy sides at Thorp Arch since his arrival’ and during this recent edition of The Next Big Thing podcast, Hay shared his thoughts on the role he anticipates that the Scottish attacker will play for the Yorkshire-based club this term.
Hay said: “It’s development for him at the moment, but you’ll be noticing that quite a few younger players are starting to go out of Leeds on loan now.
“McKinstry’s still in the building and I think is most likely to stay in the building for now, and those that [Marcelo] Bielsa feels are closest to the first-team picture are the ones that he wants to stick around.”
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So, as can be seen in what Hay had to say, it seems as though the Whites’ first-team manager Bielsa may think highly of the 18-year-old Scot, due to the fact that he has not been sent out on loan, with Hay seemingly suggesting that this means he is closer to “the first-team picture” than other Leeds youth players who have recently departed from the club on loan.
If Hay is right in saying this, then McKinstry may be one to keep an eye on this season and it will be interesting to see if the young winger does break into Leeds’ senior squad in the 2020/21 campaign.
McKinstry’s main position is said to be on the right-wing and Leeds have got three first-team options natural to this area of the pitch, which may make it somewhat difficult for the youngster to break into the senior squad.
However, the 18-year-old is quite versatile, having played in as many as five different positions in his young career, as per Transfermarkt, and this versatility may increase his chances of getting a first-team opportunity.