Breakthrough players and use of academy talent

In the second part of a special Q&A, BBC Radio Leeds' Adam Pope looks at potential next homegrown Elland Road stars and why Daniel Farke doesn't use academy players consistently in his team.

Gary asked: Out of the under-21s, who do you think will be the breakthrough player in the first team?

Adam: I was impressed with Rory Mahady, Freddie Lane, Harvey Vincent and Callum Mills at Barnsley in the 4-3 EFL Trophy win.

In most cases I would expect a loan spell before any sort of progress towards the first team squad where Alfie Cresswell, Rhys Chadwick and Jayden Lienou have at least appeared on the bench.

Chadwick, I thought, performed really well filling in at left-back in the pre-season friendly against Manchester United at Croke Park when Lienou was ill.

David asked: Why do we not use our young talent? The academy players are not getting a chance and are looking elsewhere for game time. If we're not going to use these players, why are we wasting money on the academy?

Adam: The academy is there to supply and develop players for the first team, but the leap to the Premier League is huge from that level of football.

Generational talents like Archie Gray are rare, so I think its sensible to send youngsters on loan with a view to coming back.

Also, by giving them EFL experience and real competitive football, they are also more valuable if they are to be sold and not assimilated back into the fold.

Come back to this page later on Friday for the third and final part of the Q&A, which will focus on Leeds' attack and Farke's substitutions.