With no football on at the moment, it should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody that focus has already shifted a little bit towards the summer transfer window.

If you read Phil Hay’s mailbag last week it was clear that fans wanted to know about Leeds United’s summer plans, and while not all that much was revealed, one potential target was named.

Indeed, the journalist stated that Leeds could go in for Manchester City’s young Brazilian right-back Yan Couto on loan this summer, and while bringing in the £3.6m-rated player is an exciting prospect, it should spell the end of one Marcelo Bielsa experiment.

Bielsa’s experiment

Leeds’ manager has something of a reputation for handing out chances to young players.

He’s given no fewer than 11 teenagers their debut since coming in at Elland Road, and one of the players he’s handed numerous opportunities to is Jamie Shackleton.

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The 20-year-old has played 40 times for Leeds since Bielsa’s appointment, but somewhat concerningly, he’s played out of position quite a lot.

Despite him previously saying that midfield is his favourite position, he’s been played at right-back 12 times for Leeds, and while he’s said that he has enjoyed learning the role, it isn’t necessarily the best thing for his development.

The arrival of Couto may put an end to that experiment though.

Couto’s arrival

The Brazilian was a €15m (£14m) signing for Man City last summer, and he has previously been compared to Dani Alves, so one would think that if he arrived at Elland Road he wouldn’t be rotting in the U23s like Ian Poveda or Jack Clarke.

The right-back would immediately shake up the pecking order in that role, and while whether or not he replaces Luke Ayling as the starter remains to be seen, it’s safe to assume that he’ll be ahead of Shackleton when it comes to that spot.

Hopefully, this leads to the homegrown talent getting more opportunities in his favoured midfield position as he’ll no longer be needed at full-back.

Of course, this could also have an adverse effect as it could see the 20-year-old get fewer opportunities on the whole, but at least it will allow him to have one specific role to focus on.

In other news, Leeds need to sever ties with one man.