--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-07-27T15:46:08.773Z last_updated: 2026-07-27T12:28:32+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/leeds-united/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVlZHMtbGl2ZS5jby51ay9zcG9ydC9sZWVkcy11bml0ZWQvd2hvLWNhbGx1bS1taWxscy1sZWVkcy11bml0ZWQtMzQzNTgyNzI --- # Callum Mills profiled: Leeds United academy prospect who who shined vs Wrexham - **Source:** - **Published:** 27 Jul - **Club:** Leeds United - **Original URL:** https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/who-callum-mills-leeds-united-34358272 Type ‘Callum Mills’ into Google and up comes a 29-year-old Aussie rules player. However, scroll down a touch and users will find the link to the news of his footballing namesake signing a new deal at Leeds United. It was only this month that academy hopeful Callum Mills inked his first professional contract and on Sunday, he was given the nod to start for the first-team in pre-season. In time, it could be him who tops the Google search list. Mills is still only 17 years old and has a lot to learn and develop, yet his 45-minute display against Wrexham showed the first shoots of potential. By self-admission, the attacking midfielder is a risk-taker. “I feel like I am quite a creative player. I don’t like playing simple all the time but I just do what I think is right on the pitch,” he told club media upon signing his two-year deal a few weeks ago. Indeed midway through the half, Mills attempted to spray a ball out wide but got it wrong and possession was lost. But undeterred by the final-third giveaway, Mills kept a cool head and played a role in one of the game’s biggest scoring chances. Space opened up for the teenager from 25 yards out and he feigned to shoot before dummying and playing the ball to Sean Longstaff. The midfielder then expertly passed the ball through to Wilfried Gnonto, who fluffed his lines by trying to chip 6ft 6in Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo. The fake shot was nice, the pass simple and, most impoartantly, the correct choice. Mills also played an indirect role for Longstaff’s equaliser, his blocked shot inside the box rolling to his teammate to guide home superbly. Mills, said to be a confident character assured in his own game, is highly thought of by academy staff. A 10 who can play out wide or as a deeper eight, he briefly joined in first-team training during an international break last September, though what he learns on tour this summer will surpass that short cameo. Mills - who played 14 games for the Under-21s last season - may not start another friendly, and might not even get back onto the pitch. But seeing up close what it takes to be a senior star will be invaluable. That applies to all academy youngsters, including defenders Alfie Cresswell and Jayden Lienou, who also started the friendly in Florida. Nine Thorp Arch prospects have been taken to the US in all and this will please chairman Paraag Marathe. “For a club like us, there's no doubt that for us to be competitive and sustainable, we've got to be able to churn out young players,” he told reporters in June. “The recent history, we haven't had those jumps of players [come through]. So we've got young players, but no doubt we need more and we need to develop them. And developing them means they've got to play, too. They've got to get minutes.” It is highly unlikely that Mills - and his academy compatriots - will be getting any competitive first team action next season so such opportunities as these must be grasped. In future years, he will be keen to ensure no Leeds fan has to Google who he is.