Here are the latest Leeds United morning headlines on Tuesday, 18 January 2022.
Richards hails Leeds youth
Michah Richards has hailed Leeds United’s use of youth this season after two more teenagers were handed their debuts at the weekend.
Both Lewis Bate and Leo Hjelde came on as first half substitutions to make it eight teenaged debutants so far this season, which is a Premier League record.
Speaking on 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, Richards singled out Bate for praise and the former Manchester City defender is hopeful that Marcelo Bielsa’s trust in youth continues.
He said: “It was tough the other day.
“Bate who came on, he actually played really well but then he got substituted and he sort of took it a little bit to heart, but it was actually a tactical decision for a little more energy.
“Every player that comes through is doing themselves proud, so long may it continue because it’s difficult for young players to sustain it for that long a time, it’s good to see.”
Jackson happy with Bielsa comments
Leeds United Under-23s manager Mark Jackson is pleased that Marcelo Bielsa came out and explained the reasons behind the youngsters’ tough season so far.
The Young Whites earned their first victory in 11 Premier League 2 games on Monday night, defeating Derby County 2-0.
Due to their heavy involvement in the first team Leeds’ Under-23s side have often been filled with players from the under-18s and Jackson is pleased that Bielsa publicly cleared that up after a difficult run of results.
Speaking after the win over the Rams, he said: "It's always nice to hear the manager say those words and maybe clear things up for people," he said. "It's not my place to do that, my job is to work with the team and the players we have available and support the manager and support the first-team - that's our job first and foremost as a group of players, as a group of staff.
"It was nice of him to mention that and probably clear it up because to everybody it's probably not clear why we play certain teams or why we make certain substitutions and things like that, but like I said I've got a good group of players I work with here; they're becoming really adaptable which is a positive sign for them moving forward."
Leeds fans unhappy with Burnley
Leeds United fans are frustrated with the Premier League after they approved Burnley’s request to cancel their match with Watford.
Their clash with the Hornets, set to take place tonight, is their second game in succession that has been postponed due to a lack of first team players.
Dyche revealed in his pre-match press conference that the Clarets had just 10 senior players train on Monday afternoon, which now falls under the Premier League's current Covid-19 guidelines.
Leeds, though, named eight under-23s players on the bench in their 3-2 win over West Ham on Sunday, which has left fans frustrated that their game has been postponed.
Read what fans have been saying here.
