Conor Shaughnessy was much discussed last season, a player who was moved to play centre-back early in his first-team career and someone who impressed. As the season ticked on he was moved into what was seen as his more natural role, but he struggled before an injury meant the end of his season.
Shaughnessy has started his first game tonight since his injury, playing in the defensive midfield role occupied by Kalvin Phillips in the first-team. With Pascal Struijk and Hugo Diaz both fit it means he can play that role.
Is Shaughnessy seen as a centre-back or indeed a central midfielder by Marcelo Bielsa? Who knows yet, but the fact he’s started in the middle for the under 23’s suggests that they see him as filling in there if needed.
Shaughnessy was fast-tracked last season when the club failed to replace Kyle Bartley in the summer, it left him playing a lot of pre-season and forcing his way into the plans. The big challenge came in just the third game of the campaign.
With Liam Cooper out and Matthew Pennington injured it meant that Shaughnessy would partner Pontus Jansson against Fulham, arguably the best attacking side in the division along with Wolves. He didn’t put a foot wrong and he went from strength to strength in that area.
He picked up an injury just minutes into the trip at Hull City and that was his season over. He had been moved into a deep midfield role by Thomas Christiansen but not at the best times. He was put there to play away at Birmingham City when Mateusz Klich was fit and ready to go, playing in a side that was fatigued and hadn’t been rotated at all through the Christmas period.
He was then thrown in against Millwall in one of the most ferocious games I’ve seen at Elland Road. He has impressed Marcelo Bielsa since he came to the club and he was mentioned last week before it was confirmed by the head-coach today that he would be involved in the eighteen tomorrow and would start against Coventry for the under 23’s tonight.