Former Leeds United defender Gaetano Berardi is yet to find a new club since leaving the Whites, as reported by reliable journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Berardi leaves Leeds

The defender spent seven years as a Leeds player but his time at Elland Road came to an end in the summer, with Marcelo Bielsa seeing no future for him at the highest level.

The 33-year-old made 157 appearances for Leeds in total, proving to be a popular figure along the way, even though injury problems affected him negatively.

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The Latest: Hay provides key update

The hope was that Berardi would be able to sign for a new club, but speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic on Tuesday, Hay confirmed that wasn't the case, also ruling out a return to Leeds:

"No he hasn’t, or he hadn’t last time I checked. Which seems odd because he seemed like he’d be a very good signing for someone.

"I don’t see him coming back here because he and his family were keen to return to the continent."

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The Verdict: One that got away

At 33, Berardi admittedly doesn't have too many years ahead of him and little to no sell-on value, especially as he has suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the past.

It would be great to see him find another team, however, perhaps even showing Bielsa that he could have still done a job for Leeds.

Berardi was once hailed as 'very important' by the Whites manager, highlighting his quality and showing that things may have panned out differently were it not for fitness issues.

Given the injury catastrophe the boss is currently suffering in the heart of his defence, hindsight suggests a one-year extension could have benefited both parties.

In other news, a pundit has backed one Leeds contract strategy. Read more here.