Leeds gem Alfie Cresswell
Leeds gem Alfie Cresswell
The young Whites were defeated 4-2 in the EFL Trophy Northern Group G contest at Boundary Park on Tuesday night.
Callum Mills and Carrick Njinko will get the headlines as a result of their goals, but Cresswell should have his own recognition.
Leeds are well aware of his talent and it seems like other clubs are too, after the latest on his future.
There are domestic and foreign clubs lining up to take the Peacocks gem on loan, if the Elland Road side decide that is best for his future.
His showing against the League Two side suggests that he can perform against senior opposition when given the chance.
How did Alfie Cresswell perform in Leeds U21s' loss vs Oldham?
Cresswell was immense despite being on the losing side, but he won't get the praise that he deserves.
He had the most touches in the contest with 81, according to data from FotMob.
The 19-year-old had three shots off target, made 11 passes into the final third and completed four out of six long passes.
He was the metronome, helping Scott Gardner's side to keep up the tempo when they had the ball.
Defensively, he made nine contributions, with five tackles, three clearances and one interception, as well as four recoveries.
In terms of duels, he won eight of 11 on the ground and both he contested in the air, for success rates of 73 and 100 per cent in those areas respectively.
What's next for Cresswell and Leeds?
Daniel Farke faces a tough decision in the very imminent future, and that is whether to sanction a loan exit or not.
The German has previously waxed lyrical about the youngster, describing him as a "brilliant lad, brilliant character, flexible in many positions – full-back, defensive midfield, centre-back".
Cresswell is clearly too good to be playing academy football, so the boss needs to make a call on whether he can step up to the first-team, or needs to spent time away from Thorp Arch.
It was a decision that they had to make with Harry Gray, the jewel of the academy, and they will have to do the same for Cresswell.
Given that the likes of Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach and Ao Tanaka are in such good form, the latter seems like the best option for his development.
The most important part will be finding the right team for him to go to, as that will define whether the loan is successful or not.