Tom Pearce must take confidence from 180-minutes of international football

Add as preferred source on Google

Last season was a breakthrough campaign for Leeds United left-back Tom Pearce. With Laurens De Bock struggling Paul Heckingbottom threw the youngster in at the deep end. He went on to thrive in the role. The youngster played five times at the end of the campaign, scoring once.

Such form grabbed attention from Premier League clubs and Leeds fought hard to talk him into a contract extension. It also Pearce make his debut for the England under-21s.

This season has been far more difficult.

Heckingbottom, who placed so much faith in the youngster, is gone. His replacement Marcelo Bielsa snapped up one of the Championship’s top left-backs in Barry Douglas. He has also preferred Stuart Dallas and even Ezgjan Alioski in the role.

Pearce has played just 180 minutes of football for Leeds this season, both 90-minute outings in the EFL Cup. He has not featured in the Championship.

So the international break would have been a welcome relief for the Leeds talent.

He played the full 90 minutes for the England under-20s in games against Italy and the Czech Republic. England won the former but drew the latter fixture. Pearce, however, impressed and will go back to Leeds full of confidence.

With Douglas struggling with injury, perhaps he can do enough this week to convince Bielsa into giving him his first Championship minutes against Blackburn Rovers.