Jackson’s team have acted as a conduit between the Leeds senior squad and youth teams, the Under-23s squad providing a platform for up-and-coming talents to showcase their skills, while second string first-team players are able to clock up game time and maintain fitness.
Leeds Under-23s finished their 4-2 win over Middlesbrough on Sunday in the Premier League 2 with a number of their Under-18 stars on the pitch; 16-year-old forward Max Dean scored the first of his team’s four.
And Jackson is of the view that the manner in which promising young players are provided opportunities in his team reflects the ambition and football ideology of the Yorkshire giants, as the club are all about getting the best out of their homegrown talents.
“I was just speaking to the boys in there [the dressing room]”, Jackson told LUTV.
“We have got a number of under-18s that finished on the pitch there, which is fantastic for the club.
“It is what we are about, promoting the young players and I thought they came in and did fantastic work on [Sunday] in difficult conditions as well. “
Jackson also stressed the importance of his team maintaining their standards by identifying areas where they need to improve and lauded them for the hard work they have been putting in.
“Pat on the back for the work they have done.
“Like any game we look at it and we look at the positives, but we look at areas where we can improve and get better as well and that is what we must do.”
With their win over Middlesbrough, Leeds have registered their seventh win on the trot in the league and are enjoying a 12-point cushion at the top of the table.
