Leeds United centre-back Charlie Cresswell has been backed to fight his way into a starting spot in the near future at Elland Road.
The Whites have a strong defensive setup to boast right now under Daniel Farke, with four clean sheets on the spin in the Championship helping them pick up eight points in September.
Selection headaches aren’t uncommon for sides that come down from the Premier League with more depth than their counterparts, and it’s presenting issues in defence for some.
Having featured five times in August as Leeds looked to get to grips with their squad changing massively in the summer window, Charlie Cresswell hasn’t played for Leeds since the EFL Cup penalty shootout defeat to Salford City, one of three games he has played a full 90 minutes in.
His omission from the squad that drew to Hull City begged the question of what the future holds for him, with three centre-backs above him in the pecking order.
The Athletic’s Phil Hay had this to say on his status at the moment, after signing a new deal in August, as he spoke to The Square Ball podcast:
“It was notable that Cresswell was out of the squad. There has been a lot of interest in him. If he’s not knocking on the door or in the squad, then you can’t help feeling that he will start looking elsewhere.
“I don’t know how many games you imagine him playing, but with Rodon, Struijk and Cooper – despite everything, he is an England U21, he just seems to be down the pecking order which is not ideal for him.”
Alan Hutton backs centre-back to shine
Despite his struggles to demonstrate to Farke that he’s worth starts in the league this season, having done well in the end at Millwall last season, Alan Hutton believes the 21-year-old could earn his place in the lineup very soon.
Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton said this:
“It’s always hard to break into the first team as a young player.
“But if you’ve got the right personality and a bit about you, and the other boys take to you – it always helps.
“They want to keep you involved and part of the group. I think that’s always a good thing, and it helps you settle in.
“His time will obviously come at Leeds, it will happen, but it’s good to see that he’s got the right attitude even though he’s not playing at the moment.
“It can be very difficult, so to hear that from the manager is quite refreshing and good for the player.
Cresswell has real potential to be a good player for us in the future, but at the moment, he isn’t ready to be a starter in a promotion chasing side that want all of the ball.
He’s shown tendencies to be a bit too jumpy in and out of possession, rushing into challenges and being too gung-ho with the ball.
There’s very clearly a good centre-back there, but he’s not going to come on much this season when he’s not playing.
A loan could have made sense for him, but he’s the depth we need.
