Premier League defender heads to Leeds for trial – report
By Alex Stevens
Middlesbrough defender Callum Johnson has begun a trial at Leeds, according to a report.
The Leeds United Academy Twitter account has claimed that the Boro right-back was one of the three players on trial for the club’s Under-23s against Sheffield United on Monday afternoon.
The identity of the trio was not revealed by the official Leeds media channels, as they were listed simply as ‘Trialist’ in the announcement of the starting XI.
Leeds lost the clash against United at their Thorp Arch headquarters 4-3 despite the inclusion of four players with first-team experience, striker Marcus Antonsson, central midfielder Kalvin Phillips, left-back Tyler Denton and goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
But Under-23s coach Jason Blunt was able to run the rule over Johnson, a 20-year-old who has made 11 appearances for Boro’s development side this season.
The account is establishing a reputation as an increasingly reliable source of Leeds academy news.
It had previously claimed that Huddersfield midfielder Jack Boyle was also one of the three trialists, which was subsequently corroborated by BBC broadcaster Adam Pope on Tuesday.
As Pope pointed out, Boyle is contracted to Leeds’ promotion rivals Huddersfield, who beat them 2-1 in a fiercely contested league encounter at the John Smiths Stadium on Sunday.
Robinson is also contracted to Boro, although he has yet to make a first-team appearance for the club.
The youngster has played 27 matches for the top flight outfit in Premier League 2, the competition for Under-23s introduced last season.
Coincidentally, Huddersfield gave Boyle permission to play for Leeds on the same day in which a recently released Elland Road striker, Frank Mulhern, was on trial for the Terriers against Crewe Alexandra.
Clubs hand trials to emerging players when they assess them over a defined period of time with a view to offering them contracts.
In other Leeds transfer news, there has been a finale in a major deal after a £7million Leeds bid was tabled.
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