Leeds United manager Daniel Farke demanded that Jamie Shackleton wasn’t sold after watching him in pre-season training.
A report from The Athletic has provided more details about the 23-year-old’s future.
Jamie Shackleton has been highly regarded at Leeds for a very long time.
He made his debut as an 18-year-old in the Championship and has gone on to make 85 appearances in all competitions but has never been an essential player in the squad.
Shackleton spent last season on loan at Millwall alongside defender Charlie Cresswell.
The pair played plenty of minutes in the Championship last season but couldn’t help them reach the play-offs.
There was an expectation that Shackleton could be sold by Leeds this summer but Daniel Farke had other ideas.
The 23-year-old did well in pre-season and that was enough to convince the German he could play a part this season.
His versatility has always been one of the most important parts of his game.
It could end up hampering him in the long run, but for now, he’s essential to Leeds’s efforts to return to the Premier League.
Farke demanded Shackleton wasn’t sold this summer
The report from The Athletic shares that Shackleton’s fitness once again stood out in pre-season.
He was reportedly earmarked as a player who could leave the club following their relegation from the Premier League.
However, the longer pre-season went on, the more Farke was keen for Shackleton not to be sold.
Leeds saw an exodus of players who had been regular starters in the Premier League last season.
Many of them left on loan meaning that although Leeds will save money on their wages, they didn’t have an influx of cash to spend on new signings.
Shackleton could have been sold by Farke to raise some funds, but he would have been unlikely to fetch a large fee.
Instead, the midfielder has starred at left-back and could play on the right if needed.
Plenty of Leeds fans will want to see the academy graduate be given a real chance to succeed at Elland Road.
He may struggle to displace Ethan Ampadu and new signings Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev will be eyeing Archie Gray’s place in the side.
However, Jamie Shackleton will be pushing to prove he deserves to start going forward.