Whelan thrilled by behind-the-scenes footage of Leeds ‘beast’ Cresswell
Noel Whelan has raved over Leeds United teenager Charlie Cresswell after pictures emerged from pre-season training.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, admitted the 18-year-old looked like an “absolute beast”.
Cresswell (bottom right) was pictured being put through his paces during Leeds’ first day of pre-season on Thursday.
He was also videoed going through some strenuous tests by BBC Leeds’ Adam Pope.
Whelan admitted he expected big things from Cresswell after a “fantastic” debut against Hull City in September 2020.
He suggested the teenager’s imposing physique showed the effort the youngster has put in.
Whelan told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “From the pictures, you can see he’s put in a lot of work, a lot of effort.
“He’s taking his role at the club very seriously about pushing Koch, Cooper, Llorente and Struijk. That’s good to see. I want to see that from young players.
“Doing that little bit extra, going that extra mile to put themselves in fantastic shape. We know how competitive the Premier League is and for places at Elland road now. They’re going to be even more competitive.
“It just goes to show we don’t need any more centre-halves. Cresswell, when played last season in the EFL Cup game he was fantastic. He was a standout and he’s definitely one to the future.
“When you look at him now in stature, he doesn’t look like he’d be fazed coming up against any bigger centre-forwards.
“He is an absolute beast. You can see that in the picture.”
In other news, Leeds United have made move to sign English sensation available for £20million.