Jack Harrison interview: 'We thought our chance of promotion was gone'
From fearing Leeds United would be denied promotion to hoping he will be playing for them in the Premier League rather than return to Manchester City, Jack Harrison had much to ponder during lockdown.
When the pandemic struck, Leeds were top of the table, on a run of five consecutive victories without conceding a goal. Promotion was no longer merely a dream, it felt like destiny. After 16 years, the Premier League return they have pined for was almost theirs at last.
And then came lockdown. Football stopped and Leeds’ fate hung in the air like a barbed wire question mark. Having allowed promotion to slip through their fingers last season, running out of steam as well as luck in the home straight, this time it was in danger of being ripped from their grasp by a virus they could not see, let alone beat. All they could do was wait.
If the Championship campaign could not be completed, the season could be voided, promotion and relegations cancelled. The players feared the worst.
“We did think it was all going to be taken away from us, of course we did,” Harrison admitted, his long hair pinned back with a hair band, the only obvious sign of lockdown change.
“The pandemic… everything else that was going on in the world. I was thinking there is no way on Earth we will end up finishing this season.
“[Infection] cases were increasing every day, we had one of the world’s highest death rates in the UK and you could see the leagues being cancelled in other countries, France and Scotland, other places…
“I was thinking it was only a matter of time until they cancelled it. I was still doing the training in lockdown, just in case this situation [restart] occurred, but I feared the worst. Thankfully, we are in this position, it wasn’t cancelled. We can complete the job we started.
“When we got that green light, I think the main emotion was excitement. It’s the longest I’ve gone my whole life not playing football. It was hard. We came so close last year and to have missed out again, due to circumstances beyond our control, it would have been devastating.
“Going into quarantine, we were all worried about that. Coming back we are excited, to have that opportunity to win promotion, on the pitch where it should be done.”
Harrison is a young man who has grown up fast. At the age of 23, the winger has crammed much into a short career. Moving to the USA as a teenager, he first shone in the MLS with New York City, a bright young star who flew back across the Atlantic two years ago to join Manchester City with hype as well as luggage to carry.
It has been a heavy load. City immediately loaned him to Middlesbrough, where he made just four appearances before a season on loan at Leeds brought criticism rather than praise. Things were harder in England, his homecoming in danger of turning sour.
Questioned for the first time by critics, abused on social media, he closed his Twitter account to block out the negative noise. When Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa re-signed him for another season’s loan last summer, he may have convinced the Argentinian. Others were less sure. Bielsa, of course knew what he was doing and 63 consecutive appearances later, no player been more integral to Leeds’s promotion charge.
“Coming back to England, when I arrived, I thought it was time to really step up,” Harrison admits. “And it’s been more challenging than I expected. Starting off at Middlesbrough, coming here last season and not playing my best, those challenges have helped me grow as a player and taken me to the point where I can have a big impact on the team.
“I wouldn’t have got to this place without those challenges. I’m almost happy I went through those tough periods. It has helped me grow as a player.
“I’d say it’s my best season. In the MLS, there wasn’t the same pressure, it wasn’t the same sort of environment to play football, not the same club.
“I’ve benefitted a lot from coming back to the UK, but mainly playing for a club like Leeds where it is a pressure cooker environment. It’s very satisfying to have thrived here in my second season. I had never really experienced it [poor form] before.
“I wasn’t playing at my best and I was letting some of these things [criticism on social media] affect me. If you want to play at the highest level, you can’t let that happen. I think I can handle it more. It has been the best year of my career so far, all things considered, but you have to keep moving upwards.”
And he wants to do that in Leeds white, not the Sky Blue of City.
“If Leeds go up, I’d definitely like to come back,” he replies, when his future plans are raised. “I’ve made a lot of appearances this season, a lot of consecutive appearances and if we get promoted it would be a really promising place to end up.
“I’ve had two years being developed under Marcelo and It would be a great place to play in the Premiership, especially with the style of football we play. I’ve built that understanding with him, I know what he wants.
“I think I’m moving into the best years of my career. I’ve been saying for ages I’m not young anymore and I want to be playing every week.”
Leeds, though, do not know what comes next. The break may have done them some good, but there is no form to judge. Those five wins on the spin count for nothing three months on. They, like everyone else, must start again. There are nine games to go, 27 points to play for, nothing is guaranteed.
“The celebrations can wait,” said Harrison. “We can’t think about all of that stuff. We’ve got a job to do before we can think about anything like that. It would be nice to be able to celebrate with our fans if it does happen, but that won’t be possible with social distancing rules and stuff. We still have a job to do.”
