Manager says he hasn’t spoke to 22-year-old Leeds player about signing permanently yet

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Leeds United will have plenty of work to do with those currently out on loan in the summer.

With a mixture of both last season’s first team squad and youngsters, Leeds currently have 12 players on their books at other clubs. In truth, it is hard to see a way back for any of them.

Those who left in the wake of relegation are all unlikely to be offered a way back at Elland Road, while the contracts of Luke Ayling and Ian Poveda are both up at the end of their loan spells.

The handful of youngsters out on loan also all seem some way off the first team at Leeds, and one who falls under that category is Sam Greenwood, with the 22-year-old currently at Middlesbrough.

Boro actually have a £1.5 million option-to-buy Greenwood in the summer but speaking to the Northern Echo, manager Michael Carrick says it is something that has not yet been discussed.

Carrick addresses Greenwood’s Boro future

He said: “It’s not the time now for me to bothering Sam on that. It’s focusing on the games. As I said with Jonny (Howson) and there are one or two others (out of contract or approaching end of loans), in time it will work itself out.

“Timing is important with these sorts of things, with contracts and transfers. When it’s the right time things will get finalised.”

Greenwood’s future seems much more up in the air than Ayling’s at this stage, with Carrick having been more open about their intentions with the latter earlier this week.

After a good start at the Riverside, Greenwood has found it considerably more tough over the last few weeks and has only been named in the starting XI in one of the last six matches.

He has arguably fallen out of the team at the worst time and he certainly has some work to do over securing a permanent move away from Leeds, as it is hard to see him forcing his way back here.