Motherwell academy graduate Stuart McKinstry was named in the Leeds United squad to face Newcastle United in the English Premier League this weekend.
Leeds United drew 1-1 on their travels to Newcastle on Friday night as McKinstry was handed his first glimpse of Premier League football. McKinstry moved to Elland Road from Motherwell in 2019 and has trained with manager Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team on several occasions.
McKinstry has made a senior competitive squad for Leeds. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
He’s now been given a call into matchday plans, Leeds United still searching for their first league win of the season. McKinstry was highly-rated in the Fir Park academy before his exit and becomes the latest ‘Well product to appear at senior level south of the border, after the likes of Allan Campbell, James Scott and Jake Hastie.
McKinstry said of the Leeds United move in 2020 (MFC): “When I heard about the interest, I wanted it so badly. But I’m quite a home person and a Motherwell fan, so to make the decision to leave was the hardest of my life. I couldn’t make it off the top of my head. I had to look at it in detail and work out the rights and the wrongs of the situation.
“In the end, I felt I had to move. I knew how big a club Leeds are and felt I could only go there and get better. It was the challenge I wanted and although leaving Motherwell wasn’t something that I wanted to do, it was too big an opportunity to turn down.”
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