The left-back has impressed Leeds United academy staff and has been training with the first team
15:46, 01 Jun 2026
Jayden Lienou has yet to make his senior debut
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Jayden Lienou has yet to make his senior debut(Image: Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)
James Milner was 22 when Leeds United academy hopeful Jayden Lienou was born yet the pair share two things in common.
Both were sat on the bench for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Premier League visit to Elland Road a fortnight ago, and the duo both have Thorp Arch academy listed on their CV. They might share a third commonality by the end of the week.
International footballer Milner, who retired aged 40 on Monday, played 61 times for England. On Sunday, the uncapped Lienou - who joined Leeds last year - was called up to the Wales senior international squad ahead of their upcoming friendlies with Ghana and Romania.
Lienou, a 10-game Wales under-19 left-back despite only turning 18 in April, is admittedly not likely to get too many, if any minutes, but selection marks an important moment in the teenager’s fledgling career.
Leeds academy staff were delighted to land the talented defender from Manchester City last summer, the youngster signing on a three-year deal.
A regular in the Man City Under-18s side that won the Premier League North title in 2025, Lienou - who first started in Everton’s youth set up - has impressed in his maiden year with the Whites.
Insiders admire his physicality and pace, with his one-v-one ability notable. Having been a scholar of the Pep Guardiola philosophy at Man City, Lienou can also invert from full-back and come centrally, as well as work the channel.
Lienou, described as of grounded character, is tipped for a bright future but there is also acknowledgement of how strong Leeds are at left-back with Gabriel Gudmundsson starring, James Justin as cover and a potential new back-up set to arrive this summer.
Jayden Lienou, Leeds United academy player
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Jayden Lienou put pen to paper at Leeds United last summer
With Lienou included, it is the best depth United have had in the department for some time. The defender has been involved in first-team training this season and is likely to be taken on the club’s pre-season tour.
As always, whether he can break into the senior side on a regular basis is both down to circumstance and personal growth but Under-21s boss Scott Gardner recently ringfenced Lienou as someone who has offered “something completely different” within his academy skill base.
Amid a spate of injuries, his inclusion on the bench at Tottenham Hotspur - the first ever senior matchday squad he has been named in - may have understandably been the first time some Leeds fans had heard of Lienou. But Craig Bellamy has been keeping a close eye on his progress.
Speaking about Lienou's selection on Monday, the Wales boss said: "There are one or two that are very young, like Jayden for instance. l’ve watched him a lot in Leeds’ Under-21s.
"He’s done very well in the younger set-ups for Wales. But he’s definitely a player that we like. So [when] a space creeps up, why are we wasting time, let’s get him in.
"We believe this boy has got a real chance. Now of course, there has to be other progressions to his game to be able to allow him to be able to be a top, top player for Wales.
"But what we’ve seen already in his development - and that’s from Leeds, not from us - we see a player with real high potential that can have a huge impact in an area that’s going to be really important for us."
Lienou - who played 27 academy games this season - described his first senior matchday experience at Leeds as a “milestone reached” and “another step in the right direction”, and he will be feeling similarly about his Wales selection. Should he get onto the pitch, it will be his career senior debut.
Regardless, though, it has been a season of promising progression for Lienou, who has gone from playing for the Under-18s in the FA Youth Cup to being named on Daniel Farke’s bench to an international call-up in the space of just six months.
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