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Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has expressed that he believes Conor Shaughnessy may have a bright future at Elland Road. The defender he has yet to appear in the league since Marcelo Bielsa took charge, but the former Leeds United striker expects to see him feature next season.
What’s been said then?
The BBC pundit is convinced that Shaughnessy will have a part to play due to his former club’s lack of depth at centre-half.
The Whites currently use Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper as their preferred pairing but Kalvin Phillips and Gaetano Berardi can both slot in if required.
Whelan said: “Shaughnessy has a chance at Leeds because we don’t have an abundance of centre-backs and he made a good impression when he was in the first team.
“I think Bielsa has high hopes he can take advantage of his loan spell at Hearts, get some valuable experience under his belt and return a better player.
“He started well when he first got in the Leeds team, but it’s a matter of being consistent. The injury last season set him back but he has time on his side.”
Overly optimistic
Shaughnessy isn’t good enough to be an option for Leeds, doubly so if the club manage to secure promotion through the playoffs.
Whelan argues that he has a shot due to Bielsa’s lack of options at the back, but he has seemingly forgotten that the transfer window exists.
A new player in that position will undoubtedly be a priority for the Argentine this summer. If he does dip into the market he will bring in a proven solid defender, rather than taking a gamble on the young Irishman who hasn’t even been a consistent starter since joining Hearts.
If the Yorkshire club don’t go up then Shaughnessy could be a squad player, but there’s surely no way he is taking up a starting spot next season.
