'I can assure you' - Leeds United star beams at new personal elevated team position with season vow

New Whites skipper Ethan Ampadu has declared his aim to follow the great captains of Leeds United’s past accompanied with a new season vow.

Leeds will begin their 2024-25 bid for promotion following last season’s Championship play-off final defeat to Southampton with Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off at home to newly-promoted Portsmouth which will mark Ampadu’s first competitive game as permanent Whites captain.

The 23-year-old Wales international midfielder was handed the armband this summer in replacing Liam Cooper and Ampadu has saluted his club’s former skippers and declared his aim to follow their lead.

Looking ahead to the season itself, the new Whites captain has reflected on the amount of pain caused by May’s play-off final defeat and consequently the increased determination to secure promotion to the Premier League at the second time of asking.

Writing in his first captain’s column in the matchday programme for Saturday’s Championship opener, Ampadu beamed: “I would just like to say what an honour it is to be made captain of this amazing football club.

“I had the pleasure of leading out the side on a number of occasions last season, so to now be given this honour on a full-time basis is a massive privilege.

"This club has had so many great captains in the past and I now hope to follow in their footsteps by giving my all for the badge and leading by example both on and off the pitch.

"For us as players, last season ended in the worst possible way and there was a lot of hurt in the weeks that followed.

“I can assure you as a group, we don't want to experience that again and it makes us even more determined to reach the Premier League this time around. We will be doing everything possible to achieve that goal."