Jack Clarke poised for early return to Spurs from Leeds loan transfer after being frozen out by Marcelo Bielsa
JACK CLARKE is heading for a return Tottenham after being snubbed by Marcelo Bielsa.
The whizzkid winger was loaned back to Leeds for the season after completing a £10million summer switch from Elland Road to Spurs on the understanding that he would get regular game time.
But the teenager has been blanked by Whites boss Bielsa, who has not handed him any Championship action as the Yorkshire outfit chase the promotion prize they missed out on last term.
Now the North London giants are ready to trigger the recall clause they had put in Clarke’s loan deal because they are unhappy with the situation.
And Clarke, 18, is frustrated at being cold shouldered by Bielsa, who has preferred to utilise Manchester City loanee Jack Harrison as his left-side raider.
He is fed-up with being left out, and can’t understand why Bielsa has not explained to him why he doesn’t even make the manager’s match-day 18.
Spurs chief Mauricio Pochettino is a Bielsa disciple, and was keen for Clarke to continue his progression under the veteran Argentinian coach after piecing together a hugely promising debut campaign for Leeds.
He made 25 appearances to help United reach the play-offs, where they lost to Derby in a semi-final thriller.
ACCA WITH LADBROKES Pick up a whole load of acca features to help you land the big one
MOST READ IN FOOTBALL
But he has been restricted to just two Carabao Cup outings this campaign, and has been forced to watch from the stands as Bielsa’s side have stormed to the top of the table.
Clarke has fallen foul of the EFL ruling that teams can only include five loanees in their match-day squads, and his chances of getting much more action are remote now that Leeds are out of the League Cup.
And that means he will almost certainly push for another loan move elsewhere when the January transfer window opens up to get more minutes on the pitch.