We are thrilled to have Paul Robinson, a former England custodian, join us as an exclusive columnist. Paul will share his thoughts on the main talking points at Leeds United every week.
Paul Robinson says that given Charlie Cresswell’s recent injuries in defence, Daniel Farke “never will” allow him to leave Leeds United in January.
Since his only league start of the season on August 12 at Birmingham City, the 21-year-old has only played in two minutes of Championship action. As a result, Carlton Palmer has predicted that the player will make a push for the exit in the middle of the season in order to secure playing time.
Since then, journalist Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post has reported (November 28) that the defender may make a previously “unthinkable” loan departure when the transfer window opens. However, given Pascal Struijk’s recent absence due to hernia surgery, Sky Sports pundit Robinson believes it makes no sense to approve Cresswell’s departure unless certain reinforcements are on the way in.
“I think he had a good loan spell at Millwall last season that gave him some really good first-team experience,” he said in an exclusive interview with MOT Leeds News. He is a gifted player who will eventually play for Leeds’ first team. He is a really gifted young player.
“It’s unclear whether the manager will think that makes sense in the near future, but given Pascal Struijk’s injury, he won’t allow players to depart in January. Players who are valuable to him and who he thinks are good will not be allowed to leave.
“They have a strong squad when you consider the players, their size, and the bench. How come you would lessen that? There’s no justification for letting players go in January unless you plan to add new ones, particularly when you have injuries to your roster like Charlie Cresswell.
It makes perfect sense from Leeds United’s and Farke’s perspective to keep a player like Cresswell in the lineup and perhaps even give him additional opportunities to contribute.
However, from the young player’s point of view, following a season of heavy involvement at The Den, his development is currently stagnating, so some regular games elsewhere might be more significant than ancillary involvement in a push for promotion.
