‘Incredible’ player has just been pictured holding Sunderland shirt after being released by Leeds

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Leeds United allowed a raft of first-team players to leave the club on a free transfer this summer, and one of them has just been pictured holding a Sunderland shirt.

Luke Ayling ended an eight-year stint on the Elland Road books to join Middlesbrough after a loan at The Riverside. Stuart Dallas has retired after a two-year struggle with a bad knee injury suffered in April 2022.

Others like Jamie Shackleton and Lew Bate have already joined new clubs in the form of Sheffield United and Stockport County, while Cody Drameh has completed a move to Hull City after a medical on Tuesday.

The two that remain without a new side are Liam Cooper and Ian Poveda. Cooper has just been replaced as Leeds captain by Ethan Ampadu, and is in talks with Blackburn Rovers over a move to Ewood Park.

• READ MORE: 18 of the 24 Championship clubs want to sign a £12m Leeds target

Player pictured holding Sunderland shirt after Leeds exit

For Poveda, the 24-year-old had been expected to complete a permanent move to Sheffield Wednesday after a loan at Hillsbrough. It was a third loan away from Leeds in the space of four and a half years.

But his form in a Wednesday shirt attracted plenty of suitors. Burnley and Luton were even said to be considering the two-time Colombia star before relegation from the Premier League to the second tier.

Sunderland then emerged this week as a possible suitor with former Leeds manager target Regis Le Bris interested, and now he has been pictured on social media holding the Sunderland shirt before a deal.

Glimpses, but Ian Poveda never lived up to Pep Guardiola hype

Following his free transfer to Elland Road in January 2020, Man City manager Pep Guardiola described Poveda as “incredible”. He was highly-rated in City’s academy, having also been in other big-time set-ups.

Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea among them and early signs under Marcelo Bielsa showed Leeds might have got themselves an absolute gem, for nothing. But time has passed, and he hasn’t lived up to it.

Now, like Jack Clarke, Poveda needs a career kickstart and get things back on track to potentially live up to the early-career hype that was synonymous with his name. Last-chance saloon for Poveda, now.