Leeds United allow defender to undergo trial with recent league champions as loan exit made possible
Leeds United Under-21s defender Jeremiah Mullen has gone on trial with League One side Stockport County ahead of the new season.
The 20-year-old Scottish youth international has joined up with former U21s teammate Lewis Bate in Spain at the club's pre-season training camp where he will be assessed by first-team boss Dave Challinor.
Mullen is contracted to Leeds until the summer of 2025 and went on loan during the second half of last season to Scottish Championship club Inverness Caledonian Thistle. However, his stint away from Thorp Arch was cut short due to a stress fracture in his back, which necessitated a premature return to Leeds after only a handful of appearances north of the border.
County were recently crowned League Two champions and moved quickly to sign ex-Leeds midfielder Bate on a permanent deal following his release earlier this summer. Should Mullen impress at Stockport's pre-season camp, the club may move to bring the central defender in to supplement Challinor's options at the back ahead of what could prove to be a testing campaign in the division below Leeds.
Mullen featured during Leeds' pre-season opener against Manchester United in Oslo last summer but was henceforth restricted to Under-21s appearances before his Inverness loan. At 20 years-old and with 12 months remaining on his Leeds deal, the player is understood to be keen to get regular senior minutes under his belt.
Teammate and defensive partner Kris Moore is another who could yet head out on loan this summer. The 20-year-old was previously on trial with Hibernian, although the club chose not to loan the 20-year-old back in January.