Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has showcased his willingness to develop young players since his move to Elland Road ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Teenage starlet Archie Gray made his first-team debut for the German boss this season, and has racked up 36 Championship appearances so far, whilst Mateo Joseph scored his first two senior goals for the club in the FA Cup against Chelsea.
Former Whites manager Marcelo Bielsa was also prepared to provide academy talents with opportunities in the first-team, but not all of them went on to be as successful as the likes of Pascal Struijk and Jack Clarke.
Stuart McKinstry was once tipped to be a breakthrough star by The Athletic's Phil Hay, whose article claimed Bielsa liked the teenage winger's style, but he failed to kick on after his senior debut for the club.
Stuart McKinstry's Leeds career
The young starlet was signed from Scottish Premiership side Motherwell for a fee of £400k in the summer of 2019 at the age of 17 to join the club's academy.
He worked his way into the U21 set-up during the 2020/21 campaign and produced two goals and two assists in 19 Premier League 2 appearances for the Whites.
The following season, McKinstry made his debut for the first-team against Fulham in the League Cup in September 2021. He came off the bench with 15 minutes left to play and went on to score the winning goal in a 6-5 shooutout win after a 0-0 draw in normal time.
Appearances
21
Goals
2
Assists
4
Bielsa, who was replaced by Jesse Marsch later that season, then handed the whiz his Premier League debut against Tottenham Hotspur in November of that year, as the Scottish youngster played eight minutes and completed two of his three attempted passes off the bench.
Where Stuart McKinstry plays now
Unfortunately, McKinstry did not kick on after his top-flight bow against Spurs, as it turned out to be his first and last Premier League outing for Leeds.
The winger was sent out on loan to Motherwell, where he started his academy career, for the 2022/23 campaign and only produced four goals and two assists in 25 appearances in all competitions.
His underwhelming form up in Scotland did not convince Marsch to offer him a contract extension at Elland Road, which meant that the forward was released upon the expiry of his deal last summer.
It took until October, having left Leeds in July, for Scottish Championship outfit Queen's Park to swoop in to sign him on a free transfer in 2023.
McKinstry, who has been deployed on the left wing and as a central midfielder, has produced one goal and one assist in 16 appearances for his new club this season so far.
Now 21, the former Leeds whiz – once tipped to be a breakthrough star under Bielsa – is now playing in the second tier of Scottish football, having made his Premier League debut less than three years ago.
It will now be interesting to see whether or not McKinstry can work his way back to the top level, whether that is the Premiership in his home country, or one of Europe's major leagues.
