PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JULY 17: Adam Forshaw of Leeds in action during a pre-season friendly match between Manchester United and Leeds United at Optus Stadium on July 17, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
According to claims from Football Insider (h/t Burnley Express), Leeds United have given Adam Forshaw the green light to seek a loan move to a Championship club when the transfer window reopens next month.
The 29-year-old hasn’t played a part for the Whites since September 2019, having made only 7 league appearances in the club’s promotion-winning campaign last term. Forshaw is now back on the training ground and Leeds are hopeful of sending him out on loan to the second tier to help him regain match fitness. (h/t Burnley Express)
Forshaw, who rose through the youth ranks of Everton, shot to prominence with Brentford in League One before going on to represent Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough.
The central midfielder joined Leeds in 2017 and established himself as a key player during Marcelo Bielsa’s first season in charge, featuring 31 times in the Championship in 2018-19.
The Liverpool-born midfielder started the 2019-20 season on a positive note but has been out of the side for over 12 months due to his struggles with injuries. That has cast serious doubts over his future at Elland Road, although Forshaw still has more than 18 months remaining on his contract until the summer of 2022.
Leeds’ willingness to loan out Adam Forshaw in January sounds pretty strange. It’s true that the former Everton ace needs regular game time to work his way back to full fitness after a long injury lay-off but there’s no reason why that can’t be accomplished by keeping him in West Yorkshire.
The Whites’ lack of quality alternatives in the middle of the park has proven to be a significant pressing concern for Marcelo Bielsa in the Premier League this season. The manager has been forced to call upon the likes of Jamie Shackleton and Pascal Struijk to fill in whenever Kalvin Phillips and Mateusz Klich have missed a game.
However, neither player has looked particularly comfortable in the top-flight. That’s not a big surprise as they are still quite young and haven’t played at such a high level before. Leeds, to that end, should weigh up the possibility of gradually phasing someone like Forshaw back into the mix during the second half of the season.
The 29-year-old has spent most of his career in the Championship but has considerable top-flight experience, having started 30 games for Middlesbrough in 2016-17. Moreover, Forshaw has the right kind of balance in his game to offer Bielsa a better alternative to Phillips and Klich in the midfield.
Adam Forshaw had been a key squad player for Leeds under Bielsa prior to his injury, which clearly indicates that he is rated by the manager. The Whites should, therefore, give him the opportunity to reclaim his place in the side rather than sending him out on loan.
An experienced player with enough quality, the 29-year-old’s potential return to the mix in the coming months would certainly add a lot more depth to the club’s ranks.