Leeds United's hopes of survival currently remain firmly in the balance amid what has been a turbulent campaign for the club to date, with the Whites now just a point above the drop zone with just six Premier League games left to play.
A major factor in the Yorkshire side's woes have been their shortcomings defensively, having now shipped 62 goals in the top flight this season – the second-worst record in the division.
As BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand noted prior to the weekend defeat to Fulham, the backline has been something of a "calamity" of late, with those struggles also evident last term as the Elland Road outfit shipped a staggering 79 league goals.
It could be argued that the club have simply failed to ever adequately fill the void of former loanee, Ben White, in the centre of defence, with the current Arsenal man having been a vital figure in Leeds' promotion-winning campaign in 2019/20.
The former Brighton and Hove Albion asset featured in all 46 Championship games in that glorious season under Marcelo Bielsa, with his then-teammates having seemingly been "begging" the Englishman to stay at the club beyond that campaign, as per Football Insider.
Hailed as "one of the best defenders" in the second tier at the time by ex-Leeds man Danny Mills, White was the subject of a £25m bid from the Whites in the summer of 2020, only to go on to remain with the Seagulls for the following season, before joining the Gunners on a £50m deal a year later.
That inability to snap up the Poole native on a permanent deal will likely still sting for Victor Orta and co, although they could well ease that blow by finding a suitable successor to White from the academy ranks, in the form of 19-year-old, Kris Moore.
Who is Leeds United's Kris Moore?
The promising teenager no doubt bears real similarities to the aforementioned White due to his ability to feature in the centre of defence but also at right-back or in central midfield if required, with such versatility set to be a real asset at first-team level.
Also like the 24-year-old – who has been described as "very, very calm on the ball" by Mills (Sky Sports, 10/08/2019) – young Moore also appears adept at playing out from the back, having enjoyed a solid 82% pass accuracy rate from his three EFL Trophy outings earlier in the campaign.
Those standout showings against senior opposition showcased that the exciting Englishman could well hold his own in Javi Gracia's side, having yet to make a first-team appearance for Leeds to date – albeit while scoring once and providing one assist in 18 Premier League 2 games this term.
Also like White – who has averaged 1.7 tackles and 0.6 interceptions per game in the league this season in north London – Moore also illustrated in the EFL Trophy that he is a true defender first and foremost, having averaged 1.7 and one for the same two metrics, respectively, while also winning 75% of his aerial duels.
As Leeds pundit Ben Parker previously noted, the £750-per-week starlet "absolutely loves defending" and truly "excels" in a centre-back role, with such praise in stark contrast to the current woes of Gracia's backline.
Therefore, it should be not too long before Moore is handed a chance to impress at senior level to help improve the Yorkshire side's ailing defensive unit, with the hope being that he can finally plug the gaping gap that White left behind.
