According to Twitter account Scouts in Attendance, Leeds United have today had a scout watching former White and current Middlesbrough midfielder Adam Clayton in action for Boro’s U-23s.
Clayton was given an eight-minute run-out as a substitute yesterday as Middlesbrough’s first team suffered a 1-0 home defeat against Fulham. Today he was pitted against Blackburn’s U-23s in a game that also featured other first teamers Ashley Fletcher, Marvin Johnson and Adlene Guedioura.
Ashley Fletcher scored twice with Marvin Johnson getting the other as our Under-23s edged back top of the table as Tony Pulis watched a strong side draw 3-3 with Backburn at Heritage Park.
Report ➡️ https://t.co/RGHDUHj36G pic.twitter.com/8l5YEn0kjG
— Middlesbrough FC (@Boro) January 14, 2018
Clayton, who started the game on his 29th birthday, has been a mentioned target for Leeds United, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, for a while now, but as the post below states it seems that United wanted to take a closer look at their former midfielder in action.
#lufc scout watched 28yo MF Adam Clayton in #boro u23s v #rovers U23s on Sun afternoon https://t.co/rtr9fJeL4u
— Scouts in Attendance (@scoutsattending) January 14, 2018
Clayton has fallen out of favour somewhat at The Riverside, having only played twice for Boro in the last 13 games – yesterday’s cameo vs Fulham and the 3-0 loss to Derby at the end of November last year. Out of those 13 games Clayton has not featured in the match day squad on ten occasions. The YEP said that “it now appears that Leeds United are interested” in ClaytonLeeds fans go on about the need for ‘Championship experience’ and in fairness that is a term that many fans of every club clamour for when looking at a player. Clayton has that level of experience in spades, having featured 230 times at Championship level where he has scored 18 goals and provided 19 assists.
Furthermore, if it is experience that fans are wanting then Clayton featured 34 times for Middlesbrough in the Premier League last season, adding two assists during his time on the field.
Leeds’ midfield options were given a temporary hit with Eunan O’Kane receiving a straight red in yesterday’s game for headbutting Ipswich Town defender Jonas Knudsen. The Whites will have to rely on talented youngsters Kalvin Phillips and Ronaldo Vieira, as well as Mateusz Klich to provide the bodies in the midfield engine room in O’Kane’s absence.
With Leeds United looking for a consistent presence in midfield, they could do very little worse than look at bringing Clayton back to the club where he made a name for himself before a move to Huddersfield and then on to current club Middlesbrough.
