Leeds United made to look silly as former player earns international recognition
Niall Huggins departing Leeds United for Sunderland in August 2021 hardly sent shockwaves through Elland Road.
After all, he was aged 20 at the time and had only made one senior appearance, coming against Arsenal in February that year.
However, the decision to let Huggins depart on a free transfer a couple of years ago could ultimately make the Whites look silly.
Huggins has been a regular in defence for Sunderland this season, playing in 12 of their 15 Championship matches, starting 10 of those.
The youngster’s form saw him called up to the Wales senior squad on Wednesday (8 November) for the first time.
Having also impressed for the Dragons’ Under-21s side, Huggins now has an opportunity to potentially make his bow at senior level next week.
“I really like Niall. I have done for a while,” Wales boss Rob Page said of the now-22-year-old, as per Wales Online [8 November].
“He’s athletic. He’s playing with a young team. I like how they play. Full of energy. He can play both sides for us. How we play I think he suits us.”
As Page pointed out, Huggins is capable of playing in numerous positions, namely at right-back and left-back, but also in central midfield.
Having a jack of all trades always comes in handy at this level, with the fixtures coming thick and fast, and Huggins surely would have been rivalling for a start at right-back at Leeds this season.
BBC Sport reported at the time of his move that Leeds inserted a sell-on clause as part of the deal, so there could be a windfall incoming.
That would be an unexpected bonus should he continue his trajectory and earn a move to a Premier League club.
As a regular in the second tier and now with international recognition, this appears to be a player that Leeds wrongly let get away.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites are reportedly in the running to sign an in-demand defender.