Jamie Shackleton has officially brought his 17-year stay at Leeds United to an end.
Shackleton has put pen-to-paper on a three-year-deal with Sheffield United after rejecting the offer of an extension at Elland Road.
Daniel Farke had been keen for Shackleton to stay at Leeds but his lack of game time last season has played a major part in his decision to leave, with his last league start coming in October.
The 24-year-old is a product of the Leeds academy and had been at the club since the age of seven, aside from a one-year spell out on loan at Millwall during the 2022/23 campaign.
He fulfilled a boyhood dream of many Leeds supporters by being apart of the squad that won promotion to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa, before then making a handful of appearances in the season the Whites finished ninth.
Shackleton sends message to Leeds supporters
Of the three out of contract players to be offered fresh terms, Shackleton is the first to officially make a decision on his future.
Liam Cooper and Cody Drameh still have contract offers on the table, but both are expected to leave, with the former having reportedly reached an impasse due to the length of the deal being offered.
Shackleton has become the second Thorp Arch academy graduate to depart the club in the space of a few days following Archie Gray’s move to Tottenham.
And he may not be the last, either. Charlie Cresswell is also expected to move on this summer despite pulling the plug on a £3.8 million move to Toulouse.
Writing on his official Instagram account, Shackleton had a long message to give to both the club and its supporters, in what was undoubtedly an emotional decision for him.
He wrote: “After 17 years my time at Leeds United has come to an end. My childhood dream came true playing for this great club and to do that in the Premier League was even better.
“I’m grateful for every time I got chance to pull on the shirt. I always wore it with pride and gave my all. From first trip to Elland Road age seven, right through to taking my son out on the pitch last month, I have many memories I’ll never forget.
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to every player, manager and member of staff I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. You have improved me as a football and more importantly as a person.
“Finally I’d like to thank the Leeds fans for their unbelievable support towards myself and the team during my time here. It was my dream to play in front of you and I loved every single opportunity I got to do that.
“I wish the club and everybody associated with it the best of luck for the future. MOT.”
Shackleton relinquishes Leeds’ pre-season bleep test crown
Ever since his introduction into the first team under Bielsa, Shackleton had become renowned among the fanbase for winning the bleep test every summer.
However, with it his first pre-season in six years away from Thorp Arch, he has been forced to give up his crown this time around.
Cresswell, Sam Byram and Pascal Struijk were the winners on day two of pre-season as the Leeds squad were split up into three separate groups.
It is always an interesting insight into which players have really been keeping themselves sharp over the summer, of which Shackleton was always the best at.
