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Played For Both: Leeds United & Middlesbrough

We take a look through the players who have featured for both sides

Luke Ayling at night

Daniel Farke’s men kick-off their League Cup campaign at Elland Road on Wednesday as the Whites take on Middlesbrough in the First Round of the competition.

Ahead of the fixture, we have taken a look through our history and selected a Starting XI of players who have featured for both sides.

GOALKEEPER:

Ross Turnbull

The shot-stopper began his career with Middlesbrough, he came through their youth academy and after numerous loan spells in the Football League, he made his way into the first team. Turnbull played 29 times for ‘Boro before signing a permanent deal with Chelsea in 2009. Towards the end of his career, he signed for Leeds United from Barnsley ahead of the 2015/16 season. Turnbull played just one game for LUFC, a League Cup tie against Doncaster Rovers, he was released at the end of the season.

DEFENDER:

Luke Ayling

The Leeds United icon began his Leeds United career in 2016 from Bristol City and the full-back went on to become a part of the LUFC side who gained promotion to the Premier League in 2020. He racked up 268 appearances and netted 11 goals for the Whites. During his final season with the club, he joined Middlesbrough on loan in January 2024 and later joined the club permanently at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. He currently has 20 appearances to his name for the 'Boro.

DEFENDER:

Jonathan Woodgate

The defender came through the LUFC academy and won the FA Youth Cup with the Whites in 1997. Woodgate made 142 appearances and scored six goals during his time with the club and he also earned his first four England caps while playing for Leeds. He had spells with Newcastle and Real Madrid before making the move back to his hometown club Middlesbrough in 2006. Initially a loan move, it was later made permanent in the summer of 2007. The defender later moved to Tottenham and had a brief spell with Stoke City returning to ‘Boro in 2012. He made an additional 61 appearances and scored two goals for the club before hanging up his boots in 2016.

DEFENDER:

Frazer Richardson

Richardson came through the Leeds United academy and played in the Premier League, Championship and League One with the club. The defender racked up 173 appearances and netted on five occasions before signing for Charlton Athletic in 2009. Middlesbrough then secured his signature in the summer of 2013, however, he was soon sent on loan to Ipswich in January in his only season with the Boro. He played 11 times before departing the club at the end of the season.

DEFENDER:

Danny Mills

Signed from Charlton in 1999, Mills played 141 times and found the back of the net on four occasions for Leeds United over the course of four seasons. He would have featured for a fifth season but the defender was sent on loan to Middlesbrough for the 2003/04 season. During this loan spell, he won the League Cup with ‘Boro, the club’s first ever major trophy. Mills featured 37 times in all competitions for the club before departing at the end of the season.

MIDFIELDER:

Adam Forshaw

Middlesbrough snapped up Forshaw in January 2015 from Wigan Athletic and later became part of the side that achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2016. Overall, the midfielder made 103 appearances and scored three times before directly signing for Leeds in 2018. Forshaw achieved another promotion to the topflight when the Whites were crowned Champions of the Championship in 2020. However, injuries kept him out of the team for long periods of time. He played on 91 occasions for the club before signing for Norwich following the conclusion of the 2022/23 campaign.

MIDFIELDER:

Alex Mowatt

Another LUFC academy product, Mowatt came through the ranks at Leeds and went on to feature in 125 games and net 13 goals for his boyhood club between 2013 and 2017. Mowatt signed for West Brom in 2021 and was sent out on loan to Middlesbrough ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. He featured on 31 occasions for the 'Boro in all competitions before returning to his parent club at the end of the season.

MIDFIELDER:

Jonny Howson

Howson also came through the LUFC academy, he made his debut in 2006 and remained with his hometown club until 2012. Howson scored 27 goals in 225 games for Leeds and was part of the 2009/10 League One promotion winning squad. After spending the next five years with Norwich, Howson then signed for Middlesbrough in 2017 where he still plays to this day. So far, he has 290 appearances and seven goals to his name.

FORWARD:

John Hendrie

The speedy Scottish forward signed for Leeds from Newcastle in 1989 and also made his LUFC debut against the Magpies. Hendrie spent his only season with the Whites struggling to coming off the bench as a substitute but he featured 31 times and scored five goals in all competitions as Leeds secured promotion to the First Division. The winger left the club at the end of the campaign and joined Middlesbrough. Injury free, he helped ‘Boro win promotion in 1992 before finishing as top scorer when they won the Division One title in 1995. Overall, he scored 44 goals in 192 games for ‘Boro.

FORWARD:

Patrick Bamford

The current Leeds striker previously had two spells with Middlesbrough, the first coming in 2014 when he signed for the club on loan from Chelsea. He netted 19 goals during his first spell and after three more loan spells in the Premier League he joined ‘Boro permanently in January 2017. Bamford played an additional 44 games and scored 13 goals in his second spell. Leeds United secured his signature the summer of 2018 and he went onto become top scorer in the promotion season back to the Premier League in 2020. Overall, Bamford currently has 60 goals in 188 games for the Whites.

FORWARD:

Ian Baird

Baird had two spells with Leeds in the 1980s, the first came in March 1985 when he signed from Southampton for £75,000. 33 goals and 85 games later, Baird signed for Portsmouth but re-signed for LUFC in March 1988, less than a full season on the south coast. He added an additional 17 goals and 77 games to his tally and departed the Yorkshire side in 1990. Baird made the move to Middlesbrough directly from LUFC in January 1990 and spent the next year and a half with the club. The forward featured 76 times in all competitions and netted 21 goals.

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