A former Leeds United star, who was a part of the promotion-winning side under Marcelo Bielsa, has recently announced his retirement as a player.
Currently, only Pascal Struijk and Illan Meslier remain from the bygone era under Bielsa, as Leeds fans have seen many a fan favourite from that historic period in the club’s history move on.
This includes the likes of Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips; no Leeds supporter could have possibly predicted the pair would end up playing for Chris Wilder at Sheffield United following their spells at Elland Road.
However, after leaving West Yorkshire permanently back in 2021, a former Leeds defender has called time on his career at 36-years-old.
Barry Douglas makes emotional retirement statement
Douglas, signed for Leeds for just £3million back in 2018, after the left-back had been an integral part of Wolves’ Championship-winning side just the season before.
Due to his Championship-proven pedigree, there was a lot of fanfare when Douglas arrived at Elland Road, and although he may have never hit the same heights he did at Wolves in a white shirt, the Scotsman was undoubtedly a useful member of the squad for the two seasons United were in the Championship under Bielsa.
- Injuries plagued Douglas during his time at Elland Road, limiting him to 27 games in all competitions during the 2018/19 campaign
- In the 2019/20 campaign, Douglas was limited to just six league starts, but made 15 appearances in total
- In total, Douglas made 42 league appearances for Leeds (Sofascore)
Following United’s promotion to the Premier League, Douglas slid further down the pecking order and was eventually loaned out to second-tier outfit Blackburn Rovers before departing Elland Road as a free agent in 2021.
Douglas announced his retirement by posting an emotional statement on his official Instagram account, with a video compilation to accompany it. In the statement, he thanked all his former clubs, including Leeds, who “trusted” him to “wear their badge”.
Speaking about Leeds and the rest of the clubs he played for, Douglas also had this to say, “It’s been an honour and a privilege to fight for the shirt, and I never once took that responsibility for granted.”
READ MORE: Leeds United suffer blow in announcement that does Daniel Farke no favours – The Leeds Press
Leeds need more depth at left-back
Back when Douglas was at Leeds, both he and Ezgjan Alioski were options for Bielsa to deploy at left-back.
Fast forward to 2026, and whilst the left-back/left-wing back role is comfortably Gabriel Gudmundsson’s when fit, another quality option behind the Swedish defender would be a valuable addition to Daniel Farke’s squad.
James Justin has proven he is capable of playing there; however, he also has the responsibility of covering for Jayden Bogle on the right-hand side of the defence.
It is clearly an area of the squad the 49ers need to strengthen in the summer, especially if they want to establish United as a Premier League outfit for many years to come.
READ MORE: Leeds and Man Utd fans hit with ‘no refunds’ stance if fixture is postponed – The Leeds Press
