Jamie Shackleton Leeds United career all but over, he will leave Elland Road in July
Jamie Shackleton is surely now coming to the end of his Leeds United career with a July exit seemingly inevitable.
The Whites academy graduate started the season as a regular in Daniel Farke’s team, filling in at both full-back positions in the absence of natural options and also playing in midfield.
But as the season has progressed Shackleton has struggled to find regular minutes to come by, and injuries have also caught up to him.
Ilia Gruev, Archie Gray and Glen Kamara have made the two defensive midfield positions their own with Ethan Ampadu an indispensable member of the squad moving to centre-back in Pascal Struijk’s absence, while Sam Byram, Junior Firpo, Connor Roberts and Gray have occupied the full-back roles.
Recent games have seen Shackleton miss out due to an adductor problem that has kept him out for weeks, while before that he was dealing with illness and the fact that his partner gave birth to their first child.
Football is a ruthless business no doubt, but Shackleton is entering the final months of his contract and a renewal at this stage seems impossible to justify. With his deal expiring on June 30, he will be free to sign elsewhere from July 1.
Jamie Shackleton to leave Leeds United this summer?
The 24-year-old has shown that he is more than capable of playing at the Championship level as a regular, both shining with Leeds and at Millwall on loan last season.
But the club want to move beyond that level and he is at a stage in his career where regular game time is the most important thing.
For Leeds, it will free up funds for wages should they be promoted but if they fail to go up then it will be further proof they need to strengthen which means the players who have barely featured need to be improved upon too.
Farke is a big fan, but this is more of a business decision than anything else. It makes sense for all parties that Shackleton is allowed to leave rather than given a new deal, and it’s possible he’s already played his final game for the club.
In other Leeds news, a Premier League regular has been told to move to Elland Road as he would be “absolutely perfect” for Daniel Farke’s side.
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