Leeds United have ended the loan deal of Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and the player has returned to his parent club, Manchester United. The 23-year-old has only registered just one start for the Whites this season with just 6 games under his belt under Thomas Christiansen.
Cameron struggled to find his feet at Elland Road and was called up on loan primarily to replace Charlie Taylor who had departed for Burnley. He fell behind the pecking order and some Red Devils fans might argue that the youngster was judged on very limited minutes of game time, but in the Championship ruthless competition barely allows anybody a second chance.
Borthwick-Jackson is a very technically adept left-back who showed glimpses of his talent under Louis Van Gaal in the 2015/16 season. However, after Jose Mourinho got appointed and with the arrival of Luke Shaw from Southampton, the Manchester-born defenders future at the club was very uncertain.
A product of the Manchester United academy, Borthwick-Jackson broke through the youth ranks and won himself the U21 player of the year award on May 2016. The board immediately offered him a contract till 2020 with an option to extend it a further two years, an investment which looked very promising at the time.
However, things have turned around a great deal at Old Trafford but his chance of appearing in the current senior squad is very meagre. It has been no secret the United squad’s weakest link in the defensive backline is the left-back position which has seen Ashley Young of all people get featured there as a makeshift option.
Luke Shaw has fallen out of favour and might be offloaded by the club to bring in a big money replacement. Matteo Darmian is also a secondary option for Mourinho who is currently scouring the market for quality additions.
Can Borthwick-Jackson be ruled out as a bust already? No. At just 23 years old, he still has a lot to offer and under the right management can easily resurrect his career. If a place in the United squad is guaranteed, maybe the club should look towards another favourable destination for the left-back.
Newcastle United’s Rafael Benitez is currently in the market for a wing-back after Paul Dummett fell to an unfortunate knee injury over the Christmas period. Even though he has returned to the lineup, Benitez needs more depth from the benches and Borthwick-Jackson is a prime candidate to do so.
