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Speaking to Football Insider, Danny Mills has gone on record to state that he thinks Jack Clarke is best off staying at Elland Road in order to aid his future development.

The 18-year-old has made 22 appearances for the Whites so far this season and he has improved massively under the tutelage of Marcelo Bielsa.

What’s been said then

The former England defender believes that Clarke should stay at Leeds due to the opportunities he will be granted.

“I think Jack Clarke should stay at Leeds,” Mills told Football Insider.

“He’s played a few games this season, he’s not played often enough and when I look at players who have left Leeds United too early in the past, it’s very, very difficult not to.

“Sometimes it’s very, very difficult to hold yourself back and go ‘no, I need to play.’ He can’t get into the Leeds team at the moment, week in, week out, so if he goes to a so-called bigger club, a Premier League side, is he going to play week in, week out? No. Simple as that.”

Chance to develop

There is an argument to be made that Leeds United is the best place in the country for a young player to be at the moment.

The squad isn’t massive, so the 18-year-old will certainly continue to get first-team opportunities and, on top of that, he gets to play under one of the greatest footballing minds the world has ever seen.

Marcelo Bielsa has overseen the development of the likes of Gabriel Batistuta, Ander Herrera and Benjamin Mendy. All would go on to play for some of the biggest clubs in the world and Clarke may be next up on that list.

Batistuta would even describe the Leeds boss as “The only manager to ever leave an indelible mark on me” in his autobiography.

Clarke simply can’t pass up the chance to play under Bielsa as a part of a squad where he will get game time.