Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch has declared Charlie Cresswell to be a first-team player now (Leeds Live).
The Whites manager was speaking at his press conference ahead of the Crystal Palace game on Monday.
Cresswell has made his Leeds senior breakthrough this season, with six first-team appearances to his name.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed five Premier League outings and one EFL Cup appearance.
Cresswell has also continued to feature for the Leeds Under-23s, captaining Mark Jackson’s side this term.
He played in Friday night’s record-breaking Premier League 2 clash against Manchester City’s U23s.
The Elland Road match – which finished 3-1 to the visitors- recorded an attendance of 21,321, the highest ever for a PL2 game.
Ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park, Marsch hinted that Cresswell could be in the squad, stressing that “he needs to play”.
The American hailed the youngster’s personality, noting how he was the “loudest player on the pitch” in the manager’s first training session.
Leeds Live quote Marsch as saying: “Consider him a first-team player now. Had that discussion in our scouting meeting.
“Personality is not afraid of anything. Even the first session we had he was the loudest player on the pitch. Does not shy away. He needs to play.”
On Monday, Leeds are finally back in action for the first time since 9 April, when they ran out 3-0 winners at Watford.
The Whites will be looking to stretch their unbeaten run to five matches.
The big news is Kalvin Phillips’ return to the starting line-up, which Marsch confirmed at his presser.