He has just grown and grown, hasn’t he? Upon his arrival in West Yorkshire, Jack Harrison may not have set the world alight, but his performance levels have gradually enhanced and now he is a regular in the starting 11 week-in-week-out.
It is understandable for anyone to have high expectations of a player who has been loaned from Manchester City, but it took Harrison some time to adjust to life at Leeds.
The 22-year-old was never really able to establish himself under Tony Pulis at Middlesborough last season and he had to prove himself to Marcelo Bielsa too. He played just 57 minutes of football in Leeds’ first five Championship games, but then between the end of August and early October, he had got a regular run in the side, although some of his displays were inconsistent.
Following an injury later that month, he found himself on the bench and making cameo’s here and there, but when he did warrant a starting spot, he was often substituted at half-time or around the hour mark, often making way for the 18-year-old revelation that has been Jack Clarke.
Harrison then stepped up his game. Remarkable performances against Derby County, Swansea City and Bristol City of late have all stood out, as well as his impact been more consistent throughout the games, rather than tailing off in the latter stages.
Now Clarke is gradually getting back to full fitness, it will be intriguing to see who Bielsa favours, or, if he moves Pablo Hernandez more centrally once again as his selection verdict will represent how he now values Harrison.
Having come on leaps and bounds at Elland Road, it poses the question: how far can he go under Bielsa?
Given his performances of late, Victor Orta should look to make the move permanent whether United get promoted or not, as he certainly adds quality to the competition for places and has truly proved himself of late.
If Harrison does not move to West Yorkshire on a permanent deal, he will surely move elsewhere in the upper echelons of the Championship or even to a recently promoted Premier League team, if that side wanted to pursue his services to develop. He almost certainly will not feature at City again representing a nightmare for a young player looking to develop, but there is no doubt that he could be of great use to another side.
