Dan Ashworth reveals Brighton's stance on Ben White's tricky contract situation at Leeds United

White has been excellent for Leeds this season and the defender has been a virtual ever-present as Marcelo Bielsa's team pushed for promotion.

The 22-year-old has also shown his versatility with calm and confident displays in central midfield. He has stood up to the physical challenges but also displayed his technique on the ball.

A quality that has impressed Ashworth and is said to be a perfect fit for Brighton head coach Graham Potter's style of play.

White is on loan at Leeds until June and is contracted with Brighton until 2022.

Ashworth said: “We have been delighted with his progress.

“Leeds have done a brilliant job with him. I was speaking with their sporting director and he has done really well.

“Leeds have done great and Ben has played almost every minute of every game other than the first half of a cup game.

“We are delighted. Not surprised because we rate him but we are delighted with how well he has done.

“He is still well contracted with us. He signed a new contract in the summer before he went out so we have still got plenty left on him.

“As soon as he comes back, we will see where we are, we will see where the season resumes, what league we are in, etc, etc.

“But he would certainly be part of plans in either scenario and a young talent we would be looking to keep here for a number of years.”

Leeds, unsurprisingly, are keen to keep the player who is a favourite at Elland Road and has impressed the ever-demanding manager at Leeds. “It was difficult to be thinking that he would have the performance that he has had so far because the reference that we had with games and the Championship," Bielsa said.

“He has a lot of steps to give and the most important one is how he reacts when he cannot play well.

“So for example, the 'keepers can be important and have a good memory because if they have a mistake at the beginning of the game and they are playing the game thinking about the mistake they had, it makes them play worse.

“If you move this idea to a centre-back, it’s very important to see how he reacts when he has a mistake.

“In a player, it is very important for regularity then it is important to keep this regularity when you are suffering from mistakes that keep you weak.”

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