By Noel Whelan

24th Apr, 2019 | 7:00am

'There's teams sniffing around him' - Whelan fears sale of Leeds ace who's 'Quite a player'

EXCLUSIVE

Noel Whelan has expressed his fear that Leeds United may lose Jack Clarke if they don’t got promoted to the Premier League.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-United striker explained why he is a huge admirer of the 18-year-old who has burst onto the first-team scene this season.

Clarke was the subject of bids of up to £5million from Premier League clubs in the January window but Leeds held firm to keep him until the end of the campaign.

“He’s quite a player, he really is,” Whelan said. “At the minute I would say he’s better as an impact player, coming off the bench second half when teams are a little bit tired.

“He has got a great ability to glide past players. I don’t think I’ve seen a winger really as talented as that, where it looks effortless, just to take somebody on and he really does get you on the edge of your seat, he’s one of those exciting players.

“He’s only going to get better but once again a player we can only enjoy if we go into the Premier League because there’s teams sniffing around him.”

Clarke has not started a match for Leeds since 9 February, when he suffered an illness on the bench against Middlesbrough that subsequently sidelined him for more than a month.

The teenage winger has failed to recapture his winter form, when he lit up the Championship with some of his displays.

He has been used as a second-half substitute in Leeds’ last two shattering defeats to Brentford and Wigan Athletic but failed to make much of an impression.

In other Leeds United news, it can be REVEALED that Victor Orta is working on a deal to sell a high-value Elland Road player.