McAllister planning for the future

He may only have been at the club less than five months, but Leeds United boss Gary McAllister has already shown he is a firm believer in the old adage 'if they're good enough they're old enough.'

From the very beginning of his reign the ex-Scotland international was happy to put his faith in several of the clubs promising youngsters, throwing Jonny Howson, Bradley Johnson, and the on-loan Alan Sheehan into the fray.

His strategy paid handsome dividends, as the team recovered from a major dip in form which coincided with the end of Dennis Wise's tenure, to storm into the end of season play-offs. McAllister is clearly playing the 'long game' with United, making decisions for the present whilst having one eye fixed firmly on the future.

His approach was re-inforced today with the news that the Whites have invited Liverpool starlets Krisztian Nemeth and Astrit Ajdarevic to join up with the club for pre-season training with a view to signing both players on loan for the new League One season.

Nemeth, a 19-year-old Hungarian striker, is already gaining recognition after being called up to his country's international squad last month. Ajdarevic, an 18-year-old left-sided midfielder, was born in Kosovo, but holds Swedish citizenship, and represented the Swedes in the recent UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

The Leeds boss is sure to have the inside-track on both players, making use of his connections at the Anfield club where he spent two extremely successful years later in his playing career. The progress of both players will be followed with keen interest once the squad begin pre-season training on July 4th.