England v Finland will have raised Leeds United transfer regret: View | OneFootball

Glen Kamara recently impressed against England and Leeds, who are currently short-staffed in midfield, may be regretting the decision to let him go

Leeds United may have been watching Sunday evening's UEFA Nations League showdown between Finland and England with just a tinge of transfer regret amid their well-documented injury crisis in midfield.

The Whites were subjected to a second squad exodus in as many summers following their agonising defeat at the hands of Southampton in last season's Championship play-off final at Wembley, denying them of an instant return to the promised land.

Leeds' failure to regain their Premier League status at the first attempt left them susceptible to seeing their prized assets lured away across the summer, which is exactly what ended up happening.

All in all, Leeds are believed to have made approximately £123.7 million from myriad player sales, some of which were likely necessitated in order to balance the books and stay in compliance with Profit and Sustainability [PSR] regulations after entering the second year of their three-year parachute payments.

Naturally, a handful of those departures hit particularly hard. Losing academy product Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur after just one season tugged on the heartstrings of supporters and the exits of two of the Championship's best players in the previous campaign, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter, also provided significant dents to Daniel Farke's promotion ambitions.

Meanwhile, Glen Kamara's exit to Rennes for a fee reportedly in the region of £8 million, which represented a sizable profit on the sum which took him from Rangers to West Yorkshire twelve months prior, did not feel quite as devastating at the time, but may now be reflected on with serious regret for more than one reason.

Glen Kamara's performance for Finland v England

The 28-year-old was in action on Sunday evening as Finland slumped to a 3-1 defeat against Lee Carsley's England in their fourth match of UEFA Nations League qualification.

Positive takeaways are at a real premium for Markku Kanerva's side, who are rooted to the foot of the qualifying table after four games without a single point to show for their efforts. However, Kamara was a rare source of positivity against the Three Lions and put on the kind of display which you imagine Leeds may just look back at with regret.

Kamara was everywhere against one of the most formidable midfield selections across the international game.

Going toe-to-toe with England is a tall order at the best of times, but the ex-Leeds man stepped up when many of his counterparts flattered to deceive and did not look a touch out of place against the likes of Angel Gomes, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham in the middle of the park.

It is worth noting that Kamara has also enjoyed a positive start to life in Ligue 1 with Rennes, recently notching himself an assist against league leaders Monaco prior to the international break.

However, his performance on the international stage against England is sure to serve as a timely reminder of potential regret for Leeds, even though they may have already been ruing the departure beforehand.

Leeds United's Glen Kamara regret amid midfield crisis

Leeds are currently facing a well-documented and critical crisis in the midfield engine room, which is sure to test their resolve and provide arguably their biggest hurdle to overcome in the race for promotion this season.

They were handed a crushing blow when the absence of club captain Ethan Ampadu for a minimum of ten weeks was confirmed at the start of the month, while Ilia Gruev is set to be sidelined for the next five months after undertaking surgery on his meniscus.

An unprecedented twist of fate, Leeds are now left with just two senior midfield options in Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell, although they are set to come to a decision on whether to offer a contract to Cheikou Kouyate within the next 48 hours. The former West Ham and Crystal Palace midfielder is currently a free agent following his release from Nottingham Forest and has been heavily linked with a move to Leeds.

However, Kouyate will turn 35 in December and there will be understandable concerns about how he stands up to the intensity of Farke's system and the division itself, particularly when opponents come to Elland Road looking to catch the Whites on the break.

In contrast, his experience and pedigree at the highest level has already earned him credit from supporters, who are crying out for any possible additions in midfield at the moment.

They would wish, then, that they had just retained Kamara. Of course, that is with the benefit of hindsight and Leeds reportedly deemed the opportunity to double money on Kamara too good to turn down only a few months prior.

However, the events which have unfolded in recent weeks alongside his own starring display against England will add a sense of regret behind that decision, unless Leeds find a quick and successful solution to solve their midfield nightmare.