Former Leeds United star Danny Mills is of the opinion that inexperience and a lack of bench strength ultimately cost the Whites a place in the Championship playoffs.
Garry Monk’s team, who were once even in the running for automatic promotion to the Premier League, lost their way as the season neared its end and ultimately finished seventh.
Leeds managed to win just two of their last 11 Championship outings as they ended the season with 75 points, just five fewer than sixth-placed Fulham.
And Mills, who feels the young Leeds team could not handle the pressure when results were not going their way, also thinks the lack of squad depth contributed to the Whites failing to finish in a playoff spot.
The 39-year-old went on to add that he believes Leeds will again be able to challenge for promotion next season if they spend considerably this summer.
relatedNewsStory
“Everything changes when you get down to the last 10 games or so”, Mills was quoted as saying by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
“Suddenly they’re games you have to win and they feel like games you have to win. It makes a difference.
“If you take Rob Green and Pablo Hernandez out of the team, most of the other players are 26 or under.
“You’re not talking about vast experience and when confidence slips it’s harder for younger players to know how to deal with that or how to push themselves through a dip.
“That probably cost them in the end but on top of that, the squad was quite shallow. It wasn’t easy for Garry to rotate his team.
“I never looked at his bench and thought the players on there had the potential to really change a game, or not drastically.
“The best teams in the Championship have benches where the players are as good as what’s on the pitch, if not better.
“That’s the step Leeds need to take and it’ll take money to make that happen but I really do think they’ll challenge again next season.”
Monk, whose future at Leeds is currently in doubt as he is yet to sign a new contract at the club, is the bookmakers' favourite to take charge of relegated Middlesbrough.
