---
title: "Leeds United: Noel Whelan urges club to send Ryan Edmondson on loan"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/whites-whelan-latest-edmondson/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Jack Maleham"
section: "Championship News"
published: "2020-04-05T12:20:53Z"
modified: "2020-04-06T11:53:04Z"
---

# Leeds United: Noel Whelan urges club to send Ryan Edmondson on loan

**Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has urged the club to arrange a loan move for young prospect Ryan Edmondson in the 2020/21 campaign.**

The 18-year-old is someone who has been making waves in the club’s youth side this season and he put in a particularly impressive performance in a game against Hull City back in January, scoring twice in a 5-0 victory ([leedsunited.com](https://www.leedsunited.com/news/academy/26032/u23-preview-leeds-united-v-hull-city)).

Just one month later his season was halted after picking up a knee injury that [ruled him out for 12 weeks](https://www.leedsunited.com/news/academy/26032/u23-preview-leeds-united-v-hull-city). However, when he returns for next term, Whelan believes that instead of playing more youth football it would be more beneficial for him to go out on loan and play in a first-team somewhere.

Speaking about the youngster, the 45-year-old told [Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/exclusive-whelan-urges-leeds-to-find-new-club-next-season-for-flying-starlet/): “He needs to go on loan, I’ve said this season. If he’s not going to be used in the first-team then we need to be fair to this player. He’s banging goals in for fun, he’s got all the credentials there to be a very good player.

“He’s something that is kind of going out of fashion now in football which is that six-foot, strong, main striker. He could be very well utilised, he’s a different type of player to what people come up against these days in the Championship.

“He’s got pace, he’s strong, he can hold the ball up, he’s got a great eye for a goal but if the club are going to not use him they’ve got to be fair with him and that means banging him out on loan, giving him that opportunity.

\[freshpress-quiz id=”289296″\]

“Nobody wants to hold their career, he should have gone on loan in January because he’s been flying for a year-and-a-half now and under-23s is no good to him any more, it becomes a little bit too easy.”

Whelan certainly has a point here. Indeed, despite regularly impressing for the Whites at youth level as already mentioned, he has found first-team opportunities under Marcelo Bielsa very limited.

So far in his Leeds career, Edmondson has managed to make just two senior appearances, neither of which came in the current campaign ([Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ryan-edmondson/leistungsdaten/spieler/559806)).

With the Elland Road outfit likely to be playing in a higher division next season due to their strong position in the Championship ([BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/championship/table)), it is difficult to see him getting more minutes any time soon.

Therefore a loan move could be the best option for the 18-year-old to continue his development as there is only so much you can learn playing youth football.

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