Leeds United have gone through some rollercoaster times in recent years, but one constant has been their wealth of young talent. The club have consistently produced some of the best young players in the world, from Alan Smith to James Milner to Kalvin Phillips to Archie Gray.

Leeds have become one of the best academies in the country when it comes to developing young talent, and they continue to do so to this day.

There is only one downside to this wealth of talent, however, and that is that not everyone who comes out of the academy goes on to make it big with the Whites.

For example, former England international Danny Rose is a case in point. He was sold by the club too soon and too cheap.

How much did Leeds sell Danny Rose for?

Rose, who was born in Doncaster, had made a good start at Leeds and seemed set to make a name for himself at Elland Road. He was even named on the bench for a League Cup game against Barnet in the 2006/07 season.

Rose rejected an offer from Chelsea in 2005 with the hope of making his first-team debut for the Whites. However, he did not make a single appearance for the club before leaving in 2007, seemingly in pain after the sacking of his manager, Kevin Blackwell.

“If Kevin Blackwell had stayed 100 per cent, I would have gone on to play for Leeds,” Rose said. “He lost his job in the middle of September or October, and then Dennis Wise came in and it was a bit different. Eventually, I just walked away. I didn’t like it.

Leeds, who were struggling financially at the time, dropped into League One with the season drawing to a close, and the teenager finally decided to move to London to sign for Tottenham Hotspur. The Lilywhites paid what turned out to be a bargain £1m for him.

Where is Danny Rose now?

A first-half hat-trick against rivals Arsenal marked the start of what would prove to be a largely successful season at N17, as the former midfielder and full-back made a name for himself as a ‘hero’ at Spurs, according to Ryan Rosblatt.

Despite Leeds continuing to play in the EFL up until 2020, Rose eventually established himself as a regular at the Londoners after a few loan spells, making 213 appearances in all competitions.

The left-back, who contributed 38 goals and assists from left-back during that time, was a key part of the team that made it to the Champions League final in 2019, and has also made 29 senior appearances for England.

During his time at Elland Road, the diminutive 5 foot 8 was even linked with a £50m move to Manchester United in 2017 – a stark reminder of the quality the club had missed out on.

However, it has been a difficult couple of years for him since. He has not made a single appearance since leaving Watford in 2021/22, a year after being dropped by Tottenham.

Still, those difficulties should not take away from what has been a remarkable career in English football for the defender, and it is a shame that the Leeds supporters never got to see him play for the club.