Noel Whelan says if Chelsea's Lewis Baker and Manchester City's Jack Harrison are trying to use Leeds United as a stepping stone then they are doing a bad job of it.
Leeds snapped up midfielder Baker and winger Harrison on season-long loan deals in the summer, and the duo were expected to feature prominently under head coach Marcelo Bielsa.
But Baker and Harrison have failed to make an impact and have seen their fair share of Under-23 action.
Chelsea midfielder Baker has managed just 220 minutes of football in the Championship this season, while Manchester City's Harrison has started just one of the last five league games.
Harrison was handed a start in Leeds' win over Aston Villa on Sunday, but brought off at half time.
Some Leeds fans have been left unhappy at the Whites signing players to only develop them for other clubs, but Whelan says if Baker and Harrison are looking to use the Yorkshire giants as a stepping stone, they are failing.
"Well, they're not using the stepping stone very well at the minute! They're falling in the river with a brick round their ankles!" Whelan said on BBC Radio Leeds after the win at Villa Park.
"They aren't going to play for Man City, they aren't going to play for Chelsea, they've got to do it here.
"And they're not. Simple as.
"They've been shown up by the young players coming through the academy system."
With the games coming thick and fast for Leeds over the coming weeks, Baker and Harrison will be hoping for opportunities to stake their claims for further game time.
