Glentoran striker Robbie McDaid has reflected on his time with Leeds United by admitting that he might have had more chances if then manager Brian McDermott had survived the sack before he arrived at Elland Road.
McDaid joined the Whites academy at Thorp Arch from Glenavon in Northern Ireland in 2014, but failed to make a single appearance for the first team, despite being highly rated.
McDermott, who signed the youngster for Leeds, did not survive the season after he was sacked by the time McDaid arrived at Elland Road in the summer of 2014.
The young striker was subsequently deemed surplus to requirements at the club – they had as many as 12 strikers at one point during the season – before being loaned out to Lincoln City.
However, the Northern Irishman was released by Leeds in 2016 and joined York City before earning a move back to his homeland with Glentoran last summer.
McDaid reflected on his stint with the Whites by admitting that he might have had more chances to play for the club if McDermott had not been sacked in the first place, while the managerial instability at Leeds also did not help.
“I was only 16 or 17 when I went over. Brian McDermott had signed me but he was sacked by the time I arrived in the summer”, McDaid told the Belfast Telegraph in an exclusive interview.
“I felt I was at a disadvantage because I wondered would I be given a chance.
"I had five managers in two years and there was very little stability.
“At one stage there were 12 strikers at the club and the young lads weren't getting games.
“If Brian had stayed there I would have been given a better chance because he knew me”, he added.
McDaid is now following in the footsteps of his father, who also represented Glentoran during his playing career, dating back to the early 1980s.
