Charlie Cresswell surely losing patience with Daniel Farke at Leeds United, bags must be packed for January exit
Forgotten Leeds United player Charlie Cresswell may already have his bags packed ahead of a possible exit in January.
Fresh off a successful loan spell in South London last season and helping England to win the European Under-21 Championship back in June, the centre-back signed a deal until June 2027 (official website, 1 August).
Such a promising and exciting development for the youngster, he may well have expected to be a big part of Daniel Farke’s plans for the new season.
However, fast forward a few months and the England under-21 international has now become an unfortunate afterthought in West Yorkshire.
Cresswell’s future at Leeds looks quite unclear with just three starts in all competitions this term, but only one of those in the Championship with two coming in the Carabao Cup.
Tottenham loanee Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk have been Farke’s preferred partnership this term, while Liam Cooper is back now after a recent injury spell which has left Cresswell on the periphery.
The captain’s return to action means Cresswell is seemingly even further down the pecking order and has not even been included by Daniel Farke in the matchday squads since the 2-1 win over Plymouth before the November international break [SofaScore] which has begged the question of whether Farke sees him as part of his plans or even rates him.
The German’s decisions also hampered his chances for England under-21s during the November internationals, with the youngster left on the bench in both their 3-0 wins over Serbia and Northern Ireland.
Cresswell hasn’t even stepped onto a football pitch for Leeds United since the back end of August, a surprise EFL Cup defeat to Salford City (29 August) [SofaScore] which now surely means he has lost patience at Elland Road and a January exit may be the best route for him.
Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth shared on 18 October that the 21-year-old would have a big decision to make in January, and recent developments at Elland Road will make that decision more apparent.
The Sun also reported on 5 December that promotion rivals Middlesbrough are interested in the England under-21 international.
A player of his class and quality at such a young age simply should not be rotting on the bench or out of the squad like he has recently and needs to be playing to enhance his development and maturity.
A move to Middlesbrough certainly won’t be considered by Leeds given they are promotion rivals but another move like his fruitful Millwall spell last season should be sanctioned.
In other Leeds United news, Jamie O’Hara has made an “unbelievable” admission about the Whites after their win over Middlesbrough