Speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, journalist Conor McGilligan has stated his concerns around the future of young star Charlie Cresswell at Elland Road amid rumours of transfer interest from the top six in the Premier League.
The Yorkshire outfit struggled last season with their defensive fortitude, conceding the second-most goals with 79 – with only Norwich City leaking more with 84.
This evidently shows the Whites need a huge upgrade at the back and cannot face another season rolling out the same pairing of Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente, who will both be a year older.
Despite the poor form at the back, young star man Cresswell failed to secure a spot in the backline throughout the season under Marcelo Bielsa nor Jesse Marsch, even though the 19-year-old was linked with moves to Manchester United and Liverpool in the January transfer window.
These rumours have caused concern with McGilligan, who believes if Leeds do not start to play the Englishman more consistently next season, Cresswell could demand a move away to one of the top clubs in the country.
He said: “We have to be very careful with this lad – very, very careful. Because we have got an asset on our hands here who Man United are looking at – I can tell you that for a fact – Liverpool have been looking at, I can tell you that for a fact as well.
“So, what do we do? How do we manage this kid? He said in his interview that we’ll do whatever Victor [Orta] and whatever Jesse [Marsch] want him to do. But if offers start coming in for Charlie, we need to be very, very careful here. We need to start promising this guy things, we need to start delivering things to this guy.”
TIF Thoughts on McGilligan’s comments…
Will Cresswell start for Leeds next season?Yes
No
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It seems odd that Cresswell did not receive more minutes in the Premier League last season considering the horrendous form their defence showed throughout the season. He only managed 131 minutes in five appearances, with four of them coming off the bench.
While he did not manage many minutes, he did show what he could be capable of if he was handed a run in the first team, as according to FBRef, he ranks top for tackling dribblers at Leeds with a 100% success rate – albeit having only made three.
As reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post, Cresswell has planned to talk with the Leeds hierarchy about his game time, but with interest in top teams like Liverpool and Man United, could he be tempted to leave? Leeds fans and the club will surely hope not.