Jaidon Anthony is set to come up against Leeds United for the first time since his loan spell last season.
Anthony made the late window loan switch to Burnley last month, and alongside fellow former Whites loanee Connor Roberts if passed fit, will face Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday.
The 24-year-old spent the entire 2023/24 campaign on loan at Leeds and came to within just 90 minutes of helping the club win promotion to the Premier League.
However, it was evident very quickly in the summer that Anthony would not return to Leeds for a second spell following his goodbye message on Instagram.
Daniel Farke handed him just two league starts across his entire time at the club as he struggled to dislodge the Championship’s POTS Crysencio Summerville from that left-wing spot.
Anthony on what he thinks of Leeds fans now
Unfortunately for Anthony, it was more what happened off the pitch than on it which made his time at Elland Road difficult.
Anthony’s mum sadly passed away in January earlier this year and so Leeds handed him all the time he needed to grieve his loss.
And although from that moment he was in and out of the squad, his commitment remained second to none, even making himself available for the bench against Preston North End just days after her passing.
As such, a huge mutual respect was built between Anthony and the fanbase, something he remains very grateful for even now.
And speaking ahead of his return in an interview with Burnley Express, Anthony opened up on how Leeds will always be a ‘special place’ for him due to the messages he still receives from supporters ‘to this day’.
He said: “They were unbelievable with me to be honest. Even now to this day, I get a lot of messages from them wishing me well. It was a really tough time, but they rallied around me. Not just the people in the club, but also the fans.
“I’m still in contact with a lot of people from the club as well. It’s a special place for me and I have nothing but respect for them. What happened has probably changed my approach to a lot of things, not just football.
“The way I view things and the way I view life has probably changed. I’ve had to grow up quite fast, I’ve had a lot of help with that as well. It’s just something I’ve had to do, growing as a person.
“It’s an amazing club, a really big club and a big following. Elland Road is a place where they create a real hostile environment for other teams, so hopefully we can nullify that as a team.
“It’s a great place to play and hopefully we can have a good day out there. This time I really want to beat them and hopefully Leeds are on the losing side, but like I say I’ve got nothing but respect for them.”
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Anthony will receive a warm reception by Leeds supporters
Leeds fans can be extremely unforgiving when former players make their returns to Elland Road, but Anthony is someone who won’t fall under that category.
As mentioned by Anthony himself, clearly there is a huge level of respect between him and the supporters, which should hopefully mean he gets a good reception.
Leeds did not get to see an awful lot of what Anthony can do last season and so it will certainly be interesting to see what level of performance he delivers.
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