The Leeds United man has been spotted training in Sunderland after loan moves with Preston and Middlesbrough

Leeds United forward Sam Greenwood has been spotted back in the North East training with coaches in Sunderland, amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding his Elland Road future.

The 23-year-old was pictured at a CL Football Academy session alongside coaches Carl Lawson and Rees Greenwood, both of whom came through the ranks at Sunderland. The training session, held in the Sunderland area, is understood to be part of Sam Greenwood’s off-season preparation as he stays sharp ahead of what could be a decisive summer for his career.

Greenwood, who spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Preston North End, is one of several Leeds players reportedly facing an uncertain future following the club’s return to the Premier League. Alongside Joe Gelhardt and Darko Gyabi, Sam Greenwood has been named in reports as a possible departure as Leeds reshape their squad to meet top-flight demands.

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The Sunderland-born forward enjoyed a promising start to his loan spell at Deepdale under Paul Heckingbottom, showing flashes of technical quality, tenacity and work rate that made him a valuable outlet in the early part of the campaign. However, his influence waned in the second half of the season. Despite Sam Greenwood’s early impact, Preston North End are now reportedly unlikely to activate a permanent deal, with the buy clause said to be in the region of £1.5million. It mirrors a similar situation to last summer, when Middlesbrough opted not to make his move permanent after a dip in form.

With Leeds facing major decisions across their squad after winning promotion to the Premier League and Preston focused on rebuilding with limited resources, Sam Greenwood’s future remains unclear. The forward is expected to attract interest from clubs in the Championship and abroad, though a return to Sunderland is not thought to be on the cards after the Wearsiders’ promotion to the top-flight.

Sam Greenwood began his youth career at Sunderland before moving to Arsenal, later joining Leeds in 2020. His return to the region for off-season training is not believed to be connected to any transfer talks. CL Football Coaching, which works with players at various levels of the game, has become a regular destination for professionals in the off-season. As it stands, Sam Greenwood remains contracted to Leeds United.

Since making his senior debut, Greenwood has accumulated 103 career appearances across all competitions, scoring 14 goals. He made his breakthrough at Leeds United during the 2021-22 Premier League season, going on to make 26 appearances for the club in total, including 18 in the top flight during the 2022-23 campaign, when he scored his first senior goal.

He then spent the 2023-24 season on loan at Middlesbrough, making 38 appearances and scoring 5 goals. Greenwood followed that with another loan spell at Preston North End in 2024-25, where he again found the net 5 times in 25 total appearances.

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