It’s The Sharp End – Leeds United Coach On Preparing Starlets For Marcelo Bielsa

Jackson was promoted to head coach of the Under-23s set-up at Leeds in September after a successful stint leading the Under-18s side at Elland Road.

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa has always kept his eye on his club’s youth ranks, and has not shied away from giving promising talents a chance to progress and break into the first team

And Jackson revealed that the biggest challenge of managing the Under-23s side is moulding them into players that understand Bielsa’s style of play, as the Argentine relies on younger players to come through and supplement the senior squad.

The 43-year-old added that unlike the Under-18s, where a player’s general development as a footballer is the key objective, the Under-23s squad need to be more fine tuned to be in line with the senior squad in terms of mentality, tactical awareness and physical attributes.

Asked about the major difference between training the Under-18s and coaching the Under-23s, Jackson told LUTV: “Well it is, the further down you go, with the Under-18s it is development and things like that and when you step up to the Under-23s, obviously it is the development, and you are still working with young players who you have got to prepare and get ready for the first team

“But you are at the sharper end of it where we need to establish these players and get them ready for the manager to use because he has shown in his time at the club that he relies on the younger players to come through.

“And if the players show the qualities which he wants, then he is not afraid to progress them into the first team.

“The likes of Pascal Struijk and Jamie Shackleton, just a few of who have made the step up and consistently been involved with the first team squad.

“So, we have got to prepare the players, but it is at a sharp end where we have to get it right and we have to really really push the players.”

With the arrival of Bielsa, Leeds have given additional focus to strengthening their youth ranks and the Yorkshire giants’  transfer activity during the summer reflected it as they snapped up highly rated youngsters in the likes of Sam Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville, Charlie Allen, Cody Drameh, Joe Gelhardt and Dani van den Heuvel.