NafisaLeeds United have a handful of players out on loan this season that are worth keeping an eye on, but most of the transfers haven’t gone totally to plan.
United are sitting six points clear of the relegation zone as things stand, and you’d have bit hands off for that position in pre-season.
As January looms, both incoming and outgoing decisions need to be made, including what to do with certain loan players.
Charlie Crew set for Leeds United recall as Doncaster Rovers confirm decision
Charlie Crew has spent the first half of this season on loan at Doncaster Rovers. It’s his second successive spell with the South Yorkshire club after helping them to the League One title in 24/25.
As Rovers sit in the relegation zone, but just a point adrift of safety ahead of Boxing Day, Crew’s time there is coming to an end.
That’s because Rovers boss Grant McCann has confirmed that Crew will see his loan cut short in the new year. It means a return to Elland Road is imminent for the Wales international.
International duty with Wales hasn’t helped his development this season, McCann says.
“Charlie has been stop-start and the international breaks haven’t helped him, going away two or three times. He probably hasn’t got to the levels that I thought he would do and that he showed last year,” the League One boss explained, via Rovers’ official site.
Crew has managed just 10 appearances this season across three competitions for the League One club. In that time, he’s clocked up 497 minutes, with one assist to his name. That was a superb through ball in a 4-3 defeat against former club Cardiff City.
Leeds United need to find another ideal loan for Charlie Crew after Doncaster termination
It’s fair to say that Crew isn’t enjoying his loan at Rovers as much as we all expected from him.
Going from being in a side at the top of one league, to returning to that side now at the bottom of the one above is a major change.
Crew strikes me as the sort of player who could thrive in League One. But only if he’s playing in a team that is enjoying a lot of the ball.
I’d expect that his signature is a coveted one when the window opens and this decision is confirmed from Leeds’ end.
Read more: Jamie Carragher blown away by Leeds United’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Kris Smith has been a dedicated LeedsAllOver writer and editor since the summer of 2020, stepping into the role just as Leeds United earned promotion to the Premier League under the legendary Marcelo Bielsa. Over the years, he has remained a constant voice at the heart of the club’s coverage, providing fans with breaking news, in-depth match analysis, transfer updates, and insightful commentary on the biggest talking points surrounding Elland Road.
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