Leeds United’s rising star: Jayden Lienou, a flying wing-back called up by Wales
The youngest player to pick up sustained minutes for Leeds United last season was Brenden Aaronson. The American turns 26 in October.
In a promoted team fighting to buck the recent trend of immediate relegation, Daniel Farke did not want to risk inexperienced players. Recruitment was focused on the 25-to-28-year-old bracket.
This pre-season, with senior figures returning late or leaving for pastures new, academy players have made up the numbers. The expectation, however, is that once transfers and injuries settle down, there will be little room for inexperienced players.
The Leeds squad has at least two seasoned options in virtually every position. The one department where stars could align is at left wing-back, where Leeds have a vacancy and, arguably, their brightest youth prospect. United need to recruit a backup for Gabriel Gudmundsson, who is injured and likely to miss the start of the Premier League season.
James Justin can, and likely will, moonlight at left wing-back, but he is right-footed and better suited to filling in for Jayden Bogle on the right.
It just so happens that Jayden Lienou, the now-18-year-old left-back they took from Manchester City last summer, is building up steam.
Jayden Lienou in action against Wrexham in Florida in July (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)
Lienou graduated to United’s matchday squads in the league over the final weeks of last season, after a stellar first year with the under-21s, and then signed a new contract until 2029. The fact that he had only signed his first contract, to 2028, last summer underlines the impression he has made at Elland Road.
It should be stressed that the club is expected to recruit a more senior option to cover for Gudmundsson, but if anyone is going to break through, Lienou looks the most likely. His call-up to the senior Wales squad in May was telling, too.
Daniel James, who went up against Lienou in training for much of last season, was asked about his team-mate during that Wales camp. He told reporters: “He has been brilliant this season. We have been training against him a lot. He’s a great lad.
“It’ll be great for him this week to experience it, but it always helps to have a few familiar faces coming into camp, too. He thoroughly deserves it. He’s been great since he’s been here and great at Leeds. He’s definitely one for the future, a great player.”
Ethan Ampadu, his captain in West Yorkshire and another Wales international, told the media: “I see him day in and day out at Leeds, and I know the ability he’s got and the levels he can get to, but he’s a hard-working kid. He’s young, he’s got a lot to learn, but I’m sure he can.”
Farke has shown that if a player is good enough, they are old enough. Archie Gray, one of the finest academy graduates from Leeds in recent memory, was a mainstay in the 2023-24 season at 17 years old.
If Lienou shows Farke he can be trusted in the heat of the Premier League, the opportunities will be there. Regardless of what happens this season, Lienou is happy with his progress.
Speaking to the club’s official website after signing his new contract this summer, he said: “I’m probably further ahead than I thought I was going to be when I first signed for Leeds. When me and Scott (Gardner, under-21 head coach) sat down at the start of the season, we set some goals to get to certain situations, milestones in my career, and I’ve exceeded that.”
Gardner spoke about Lienou’s rapid development. He acknowledged that the 18-year-old was far better than what they already had at Thorp Arch when he arrived from City.
“The new faces like Jayden offer something completely different to what we had before and they complement the rest of the players, particularly the younger group coming up,” he told the club website. “We are excited to see where they can go.”
Gardner also said youth football would only take Lienou so far: “There comes a point where under-21s football provides a certain amount for the lads, but after that, they do need to go and experience senior games and they will be much better and more experienced as players and as people.
“We have also had six or seven lads around the first-team training group, so for them to be around Premier League footballers every single day can help them improve as players.”
As he continues to train with the first team, Lienou will hope he can make that leap.