IT was back in September when a smile broke out on the face of Gary Rowett.
Ahead of Leeds United’s visit to The Den, in a game that would end in a 3-0 defeat, the then Millwall manager was asked about the returning pair of Charlie Cresswell and Jamie Shackleton, both of whom had managed to make an impact during loan spells at The Den the season before.
It was clear both from Rowett’s reaction and his words how much he valued the pair.
He told NewsAtDen: [They were] brilliant lads. Different types of lads. Shacks was a little bit quieter, went about his work, but a really likeable lad and likeable player. Whenever he was called upon you could trust him.
“And Cressy’s the same. A little bit more vocal, a little bit livelier on the training ground but no less a likeable character. Both did really, really well. Both brilliant people, they fitted into the group great, really humble, threw themselves into what we’re about here as a team and both would be welcome back here any time – apart from [the game] Sunday.”
Since returning to Leeds, neither has enjoyed the ideal season. Shackleton’s campaign had initially looked promising, with the versatile player popping up in different positions for Daniel Farke and starting six of the first nine games. But since November, he has played just one minute of league football although his season has been hampered by injuries.
As for Cresswell, he did not come off the bench at The Den in September nor in Sunday’s game at Elland Road, where Leeds won 2-0.
It has become a familiar theme for the defender who showed such consistent quality at the back for the Lions last season but this season has not managed to break into the league’s meanest defence, despite injury ruling out first-choice defender Pascal Struijk this entire calendar year.
Instead of calling upon Cresswell, Farke instead turned to midfielder Ethan Ampadu to fill the gap in defence, a job the Welshman has done admirably.
Leeds Live sports reporter Beren Cross, who has been following the club and the situation closely, told NewsAtDen things had not quite worked out so far for Cresswell.
He said: “It’s been a really frustrating year for Charlie. Everybody rates him, everybody knows he’s a really good centre-back and given what he did at Millwall last season, as a mainstay in a team that got to within a kick of the play-offs, there would have been no qualms at all about him starting regularly for Leeds.
“It’s just unfortunate for him that he’s the fourth-choice centre-back in the best defence in the league. So whether it was [Joe] Rodon and Struijk in the first half of the season or Rodon and Ampadu in the second half of the season, they’ve just been rock solid. And there’s been absolutely no reason, unfortunately for Charlie, for Daniel Farke to change it.
“Rodon is arguably the best centre-back in the league. He plays on the right side of the defence which is where Charlie would play. It’s just been really frustrating for him. We’ve seen so little of him that it’s impossible to draw any conclusions. He played a little bit in the start of the season and had a few games in August. But since then he hasn’t had a kick, whether for the under-21s or the first-team, so it’s very frustrating. We’ll have to see what happens in the summer.”
Cresswell has made just seven appearances in all competitions and has only played for seven minutes in the league since September. It is dramatic change from last season where he made 28 appearances for Millwall and memorably announced his arrival to Lions fans with a brace against Stoke City on his debut.
The lack of game time has not been easy for the 21-year-old and Farke went into detail on the situation in a press conference in January amid rumours that linked Cresswell away from Elland Road.
The Leeds boss spoke highly of the defender’s “potential” but questioned his commitment and said he was not “mentally ready” to play.
Recalling the situation, Cross said: “Farke gave a press conference in the last week of the window and basically said ‘it’s dealt with’. Charlie and him had come to some sort of agreement where Charlie was more willing to be the fourth-choice centre-back to work hard and be a part of the squad.
“There was no suggestion that Cresswell had been very disruptive or a problem but Farke was quite open that in training and travelling to matches, it was clear to him that Charlie wasn’t as committed as some of the others in that squad. And even if you’re not playing, you still need to be seen as being in and around the squad and being a part of the team effort. And Farke was questioning that quite publicly and I’m sure that was hard for Cresswell to hear because Daniel didn’t hold back, really.
“In January, Farke made it pretty obvious that we’ve got a certain valuation for Charlie, we know how good he is, he’s a regular England Under-21 international. We know he can be one of the best centre-backs in this league. So if a club in the higher reaches of the Championship want to come and take him, they’re going to have to pay what he’s worth.
“There was a lot of interest in him, including Millwall. There were several Championship clubs interested and we know that bids came in but none of them met the valuation.”
There is likely to be more speculation surrounding Cresswell in the summer given his ability and potential and what he has shown both for Millwall and England Under-21s.
If the Lions or any club are interested in trying to secure him, Cross believes it could come down to what division Leeds are playing in next season.
He said: “If they don’t get promoted, then I think almost certainly he’ll still be here. If they do get promoted, then I think it’ll be a very, very big call to make. I think Farke would want to keep him and the hierarchy at Leeds will want to keep him. He’s clearly got immense potential as a home-grown centre-back who would be a very good squad player even in the Premier League. But he needs to play and he’ll want to play.
“The assumption is that Liam Cooper may move on in the summer. As it stands, he’s out of contract and there’s no talk of a contract offer on the table. So that would be one less person between Charlie and the first-team so a lot would depend on the transfer window.
“Clearly Leeds would need to strengthen if they got promoted so I would say the whole situation was uncertain.”