James Debayo has only made one substitute appearance for Leeds United, earlier this season. It was a one-minute cameo against Swansea City but there is real excitement around the 19-year-old centre-back. He has regularly made the matchday squads for Leeds this season and has been training with the first team under Daniel Farke. He could get his first start for the Whites when they take on Harrogate Town in the third round of the FA Cup at Elland Road on Saturday evening. The teenage centre-back is rated highly at Leeds and is seen as someone who could be a real first-team option in the future. Leeds believe they have a game that they need to nurture properly to help him realise his potential at Elland Road.
Leeds United boss Farke is likely to ring in the changes this weekend as they prepare for a cup clash against League Two opponents at Elland Road.
The German will look to rest as many of his top players as possible this weekend to ensure proper rest while keeping in mind that the team is strong enough not to slip up against Harrogate Town on Saturday.
Leeds will look to keep things solid at the back, but there is a real chance James Debayo could start at the heart of their defence against the League Two opponents.
It is a good chance for the Leeds manager to check how Debayo reacts to getting a start and playing against senior professionals despite them playing at a lower level than the Whites in the English football pyramid.
Leeds’ academy will hope that the teenager turns heads with his performance and emerges as a real option for Farke to use in the Championship in the latter half of the season.
James Debayo will either save or earn millions for the club
Debayo started out at the Watford Academy before Leeds snapped him up in 2021 and got him into their system. He has come through the ranks and has been hugely impressive at Leeds.
He impressed for Leeds during pre-season last summer and did enough to ensure that Farke keeps him around in training with the senior squad this season.
The teenage defender made his debut against Swansea in the Championship earlier in the campaign and is considered one of the finest young defensive talents in England.
He has already earned six caps for the England Under-18s and is being seen as a future star for the Three Lions as well going forward.
The young centre-back hopes to impress if he gets to start against Harrogate Town at Elland Road on Saturday and ensure that he is seen as a real option by the Leeds boss for the season going forward.
Debayo has the talent to become a massive player for Leeds and could save the club millions in terms of the club signing a centre-back in the future.
The teenager could also be an option for Leeds to earn a massive fee and in the era of FFP, he could be seen as a player who could go into the books as pure profit for the Whites if he is sold.
The teenage centre-back needs games to develop
Debayo has been training with the first team regularly but he has not played enough games. He has made just a one-minute appearance for Leeds and has featured twice for the Under-21s.
Since he has been a part of the Leeds first-team squad, he is not getting enough games at the Under-21 level as well and as a result, he has played very little football this term.
If he is not going to play enough games going forward, Leeds would have to take a call on whether to loan him out in the winter transfer window.
He is a talented young defender but he won’t develop if he is not playing enough football at this stage of his career in the coming months.
Debayo has a chance to impress Farke if he gets to start on Saturday but the Leeds boss has a settled line of centre-backs he is keen to trust.
It would be prudent to ensure the young defender gets a loan club this month where he would be playing regular senior football in the latter half of the season.
