‘I was very small’… £3m Premier League midfielder says Leeds got rid of him because of his size

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Leeds United’s academy have produced some fantastic midfielders in recent years.

Archie Gray is doing the business for the Whites right now, James Milner, Fabian Delph and Kalvin Phillips both went on to become Premier League winners, while Lewis Cook is shining at Bournemouth.

However, there’s one Premier League midfielder who came through Leeds’ academy that many may not know about.

Indeed, Fulham’s Tom Cairney started his career as a youngster at Leeds, and speaking on the Footballer’s Football Podcast, the Fulham skipper has been discussing his time in West Yorkshire and his ultimate release from the club.

Cairney says that he really enjoyed his time at Leeds’ academy, complimenting the coaching in particular, but he says that he was actually released by the club at the age of 16 because of his size.

Cairney was released by Leeds because he was too small

The £3m man spoke about his time at Leeds and his release.

“Academy days I started off at Leeds United. A well-known academy, a very good academy. Looking back I’d say I started the academy a bit too early. It felt too serious too young. It felt like a job from a young age. An amazing academy, amazing coaches, but I was released at 16 because of the physical side of the game, I was very small, very slight,” Cairney said.

Big mistake

It has to be said that Leeds made a serious mistake here.

Cairney would go on to become one of the very best midfield players in the Championship for a long time, and now, he’s even doing it in the Premier League.

His size, ultimately, didn’t prove to be an issue. His technical ability means that he doesn’t rely on his strength too much, and standing at 6 ft 1 , he’s not exactly one of the smallest players around either.

Leeds have done a brilliant job with their academy products over the years, but it’s fair to say they dropped the ball on this one.