Harrogate Town are interested in signing Stuart McKinstry with his contract set to expire at Leeds United today.
That is according to the Daily Record, who report Harrogate are keen on moving for McKinstry on a free transfer after it was confirmed earlier this month he would not be offered a new deal at Elland Road.
The 20-year-old was on the cusp of the first team under Marcelo Bielsa during the latter stages of 2021, coming off the bench twice in matches against Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.
That said, he was never really able to cement himself as one of Leeds’ leading youngsters, with Crysencio Summerville, Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood always ahead of him in the pecking order.
Leeds paid a decent fee to sign McKinstry from Motherwell back in 2019, though he was never really able to fulfil his early potential at the club.
Harrogate want McKinstry with Leeds contract expiring today
McKinstry spent last season on loan at his former club Motherwell where he was a first team regular until the final couple of months of the campaign.
However, after the permanent appointment of Stuart Kettlewell, McKinstry became very much a bit-part player, being named as an unused substitute in 12 of the last 14 league games.
That put an end to any hopes of a permanent move back to Motherwell, with West Yorkshire side Harrogate now keen on bringing him to the club.
From Leeds’ perspective, this is just the nature of academy recruitment, particularly when you bring in as many as the Whites have in recent years.
Some will work, and some may not. On this occasion, McKinstry won’t be making it at Leeds but hopefully the club have done enough to set him up for a decent playing career.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
