Leeds United have sent scouts to catch Motherwell winger Jake Hastie in action recently according to the reports from the Daily Record. Reports have also indicated that scouts from West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland were present to see the 19-year-old from close quarters. Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson recently came out and warned (The Scottish Sun) the in-demand winger about losing his way if he decides to move to England.
Hastie spent the first half of the season with Scottish second tier outfit Alloa Athletic, but Robinson decided to have him back for the second half of the season. The Scotsman has impressed since then and has managed to register three goals and one assist. He is getting regular minutes with the Well, and that is going to be crucial for his overall development.
His manager recently talked about the interest from England and said, ”He’s playing regular first-team football, and I’d sit in front of any parent and tell them if their boy goes to England they will be playing Under-23 football, and will maybe lose their way. I’m a big advocate of playing early and playing young, and I’m confident Jake will re-sign.”
What Robinson is saying holds some truth, but if Hastie has the skills and ability to a breakthrough in the first team, then a club like Leeds United can be a good fit for him. We have seen how Marcelo Bielsa hasn’t been afraid to give his youngsters a chance. To some extent, injuries to senior players have paved the way for young talents, and the likes of Jack Clarke, Jamie Shackleton, Jack Harrison and Aapo Halme have got a decent amount of game time this season.
Hastie is currently in the final few months of his contract so one can understand why the Scottish outfit would want to keep hold of him. There is no doubt that they would like to extend his contract, but in the end, it is likely going to come down to the player on where he wants to play.
Leeds United are in desperate need of a winger and they could definitely do with someone like Hastie. However, he is yet to be a prove his worth and would take a few more years to develop further. The club also needs to take into account that they could be playing in the Premier League next season so they would be better off signing someone with more experience and who has proven himself at the top level. It would be interesting to see what Hastie would decide after his manager has openly urged him to stay in Scotland.
