Luke Murphy completed 60 minutes on his return from injury as our Under-21s started their season with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town on Monday evening.

Academy manager Adam Underwood, taking charge of the youngsters while the club waits to appoint a full-time U21s coach, fielded a mixture of youth and experience at Elland Road, as Murphy started alongside fellow first-team members Casper Sloth, Lee Erwin and Kalvin Phillips in front of a respectable-sized crowd.

And United got off to a dream start, taking the lead after just two minutes as Frank Mulhern guided his header into the bottom corner after meeting Sloth’s inch-perfect back-post cross.

Erwin then threatened, clipping over the bar from the edge of the box, before Lewis Walters twice came close from inside the area.

But despite a bright start to proceedings, United were pegged back on the half-hour mark as former Elland Road winger Cameron Stewart’s low cross from the left was turned in from close-range by Shane McLaughlin.

At the opposite end, Phillips forced goalkeeper Michael Crowe into a fine, one-handed save to push away his goalbound free-kick and Erwin glanced a header over from Walters’ cross.

The early stages of the second half saw United continue to enjoy the better of the openings as defenders Jack Vann and Lewie Coyle both threatened.

Just after the hour-mark a lengthy delay halted play at Elland Road after an awful-looking injury forced Ipswich substitute Monty Patterson to leave the field on a stretcher, leaving the stadium shocked in silence.

The visitors went on to snatch a late winner, triallist James Alabi racing through on goal before slotting beyond Eric Grimes, but the game had been overshadowed by Patterson’s injury.

United team: Grimes, Coyle, Vann, Skelton, Denton, Phillips (Dawson 72), Murphy (Purver 60), Sloth, Walters, Erwin (Parkin 78), Mulhern. Subs. Peacock-Farrell, M Taylor.