One of Leeds United's Under-21s prospects has 'completely impressed' his national team boss before even playing a senior club game.

Jayden Lienou only turned 18 in April and has been at Leeds since July 2025, having signed from Manchester City. This season the left-back started 19 times for the Under-21s and was among Daniel Farke's substitutes for two of the final three Premier League games of the campaign.

Lienou's potential has helped him earn a call up for the senior Wales squad for the first time as they prepare for friendlies against Ghana and Romania. Already capped 23 times at youth level since his international debut for Wales Under 15s, the defender is very much on senior boss Craig Bellamy's radar.

"I've watched him a little bit with Leeds Under-21s and he's done very well in the younger setups for Wales, but he's definitely a player we like,” said Bellamy. “So if a space sort of creeps up, what are we wasting time for? Let's get him in. We believe this boy's got a real great chance. Now, of course, there has to be other progressions to his game to be able to allow him to become a top, top player for Wales, but what we've seen already in his development - and that's from Leeds, not from us - we see a player with real high potential that could have a huge impact in an area that's going to be really important for us.”

Bellamy is excited that Lienou has already made it onto the fringe of Farke's senior set-up at Thorp Arch and has praised the work Leeds have done to develop the youngster.

“When I saw the kid, I was like, ‘Wow, this kid’s top’,” he said. “But the reports I had before that gave me an opportunity to get excited about the kid, and when I saw him I was completely impressed. He's been training with the Leeds first-team as well, so definitely monitoring him.

“He’s mobile, not just from a full-back area, can move into the six, can move into the pockets, can go high and wide, got a good art of defending, physically exceptional. Loads and loads of improvements to be made, which all 17/18-year-old kids have to make, but at this present moment Leeds are doing an incredible job with him. It's a lot to be excited about for me personally.”

Lienou joins fellow Leeds men Karl Darlow, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Daniel James in the Wales squad for Saturday's home game against Ghana, prior to a trip to Romania.