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Jack Harrison’s Leeds career has headed sideways and backwards but unfortunately for him, it’s rarely been in an upward trajectory.
The winger was brought in with an exciting reputation last term after arriving from Manchester City on a season-long loan but managed just four goals.
Despite that, Leeds took another punt this season, knowing full well what they’d be receiving. They know all about the frustrating nature of the wide man but they are also aware of the qualities he possesses.
This is a player who has a golden first touch, one many in the Premier League would be proud of. Yet, when it comes to his delivery of the ball, there is a distinct lack of end product.
A damning statistic sums up just how underwhelming the 22-year-old has been in 2019/20. Of 31 attempted crosses in the Championship, only one of them has been accurate.
Harrison hasn’t scored since the opening weekend of the season while he’s also failed to register an assist. That is hardly unsurprising given his poor delivery but as the season now begins to ramp up, he’ll have to improve.
In some senses, his time at the club has already come full circle. During the opening stages of last term, he managed just one goal in his first 17 league outings.
This season, it’s looking as though a similar theme is developing. In eight games, he has just one strike to his name and there is a real lack of cutting edge when he gets in a promising area of the pitch.
There is no denying he has talent. After all, he’s a player that’s been hailed by Pep Guardiola in the past.
After his initial move to west Yorkshire in the summer of 2018, the Spaniard said: “He did so well in pre-season and I was really impressed.”
However, impressive showings in the white of Leeds have been few and far between.
This summer Leeds had a major decision to make, one which involved their transfer policy. Knowing of his abilities, one of the players Bielsa wanted to bring back was Harrison.
Appearing on episode 71 of the Talking Shutt Podcast, Angus Kinnear detailed the move:
This was some show of faith in a player who rarely contributed to goals in 2018/19.
His end to the season was quite strong, especially if you factor in his difficult start.
It wasn’t just an improvement in fortunes but it was also the teams he was scoring against and how vital the goals were.
One of his most important strikes came in a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday while he also netted what turned out to be the winner versus Swansea.
Harrison meanwhile bagged against Derby and claimed an assist in the playoffs, as well as laying on a strike versus West Brom.
It was a promising second half of the campaign but he hasn’t managed to follow that up in 2019/20.
He’s not creating sufficient chances and in his last three outings, he’s managed just a solitary key pass in each match.
Leeds fans have voiced their concerns over the fact Helder Costa isn’t playing and with a player of his quality waiting in the wings, a lot more needs to be done for Harrison to firstly keep his place, but also vindicate the faith shown.
As a result of his promising start to the campaign, finding the back of the net against Bristol City, Leeds decided they didn’t need a winger.
A fee had been agreed with Ryan Kent but he was swiftly forgotten about. Instead, they ended up with Eddie Nketiah.
The fact he’s scored four goals already dictates it was wise but the former New York City man has a huge amount of work to do to show Leeds were right to ditch their pursuit of Kent.
Harrison has quickly become a favourite under Bielsa, starting each Championship game in 2019/20 and Kinnear’s quotes only emphasise how highly the Argentine thinks of him.
Whether he should be in the side or not is up for debate but so far their summer decision on the winger has backfired.
Harrison is short of quality and he desperately needs to improve. That isn’t just for the sake of his Leeds career with Costa looking over his shoulder, but it’s also for the good of a team seeking promotion.
If he can find the form he produced in the second half of 2018/19, the decision may well pay off. Right now though, bringing Harrison back looks like a misguided call.
