Leeds United left-back Tom Pearce is expected to stay and fight for a first-team place under Marcelo Bielsa next season, according to Football League World.
The report claims that there is interest in him this summer but that he is expected to stay and place for his place at Elland Road.
Pearce spent the second-half of last season on loan at Scunthorpe where he made nine appearances, scoring one goal.
The 21-year-old has made 10 senior appearances for Leeds, getting his debut under Paul Heckingbottom. He only got three appearances under Bielsa before being shipped out on loan in January.
OPINION
This is an interesting move for Pearce. He’s got a lot to prove before he gets close to a left-back berth for Leeds, with Barry Douglas and Ezgjan Alioski ahead of him in the pecking order. It’s not a position that Leeds are crying out for more options in and we can’t think that Pearce would be happy playing third fiddle for Bielsa. However, Alioski – while good at left-back – was only put back there when Douglas was injured and Pearce may have been encouragement to stay at Leeds. We’ve always liked him as a player and he’s popular with the fanbase as was evidenced when he signed a new four-year contract back in June. He’s been with Leeds for five years, since he joined from Everton, and he’s obviously hoping that this is going to be his time under manager Marcelo Bielsa. We should get a much clearer idea when the full squad is back for pre-season.