Joe Gelhardt wrote Jack Jenkins an emotional five-word note after Leeds United confirmed the 21-year-old’s departure from Elland Road.
The Whites confirmed on their official club website (31 January) that the midfielder had left West Yorkshire to join National League side Halifax Town.
Jenkins, who came up through the club’s ranks at Thorp Arch, has many fond recollections of his boyhood team over time. He rapidly became a fixture in the age groups, scoring the winning goal that propelled the Under-23s to Premier League 2 champions in the 2020/21 season.
He made his first-team debut for Leeds in January 2021, but that was his only appearance at that level, and after spending the first part of the 2023/24 season on loan at Scunthorpe United, he has now left the club permanently.
Jenkins would have found it difficult to say goodbye after so many years at Thorp Arch, as seen by his use of social media to express his final farewell to the club that provided him with his first opportunity in football.
Jenkins posted on his official Instagram (31 January): “I’d want to thank all of the players and staff I’ve worked with at Leeds United over the past 16 years. I’ll never forget the incredible experiences and memories I’ve made with the club I grew up in.”
His responses were full of good luck greetings, with Gelhardt’s in particular striking out: the 21-year-old wrote, “All the best Jenko son.”
Gelhardt and Jenkins would have spent a lot of time together with Leeds’ Under-21s, with the striker scoring 11 goals and assisting three times during the club’s Premier League 2-winning season.
Unlike Jenkins, who battled to break into the first-team picture at Elland Road, Gelhardt has had significantly more success, earning 49 senior appearances so far.
Nonetheless, he has become something of an outsider under Daniel Farke, with only six Championship appearances this season.
As a result, the teenage forward has been linked with a move away from the club, and he may soon join his old teammate on the departures list before Thursday, February 1.
Celtic and Rangers have expressed interest in the Leeds player, according to Dean Jones via Give Me Sport (18 January).
Although time is running out, Leeds fans will have to wait patiently to see if Gelhardt has written his own parting note before tomorrow’s deadline.
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