No place for O’Dea in manager Warnock’s blueprint for Leeds

The 25-year-old Republic of Ireland international has spent the season on loan at Elland Road from Celtic and made 38 appearances.

O’Dea hoped to make a permanent switch to the Championship club in the summer when his contract at Parkhead is due to run out and Warnock had indicated a few weeks ago that he planned to sit down with the defender.

However, the United manager has now told the Yorkshire Post that O’Dea, sent off in the midweek defeat at Blackpool and already out of tomorrow’s trip to Cardiff City due to having to serve a one-game ban, is not part of his plans for the summer.

He said: “I have thanked Darren for his efforts over the season but told him we will be going in a different direction and will be looking elsewhere. It means Darren has played his last game for the club. He has accepted that and we now move on.”

The decision not to try to retain O’Dea after the end of this season means at least one centre-half is now high on Warnock’s wanted list for the close season.

He is planning a major overhaul of the squad with Ben Parker and Mika Vayrynen having already been released ahead of their contracts running out in June.

Along with O’Dea, the pair are unlikely to be the last out the exit door and Warnock believes United’s final two games of the campaign will help make his mind up as to who stays and who goes.

He said: “I couldn’t ask for two better games to make a judgment on the players I want to keep and the ones I am willing to let go.

“There are a number of question marks in my mind and these two matches will help provide the answers. Cardiff City are going for the play-offs so need to beat us.

“The atmosphere will be highly charged and it is in games like this that you learn a lot about players. The same goes for Leicester City on the final day.

“They have spent more money than anyone else this season and will have been expecting to challenge for promotion. That hasn’t been the case but I am sure they will be desperate to end the season on a high.

“How we do in the games against Cardiff and Leicester will tell me a lot.”

United will travel to South Wales looking to improve on what has been a wretched end to the season with Warnock’s 12 games having yielded just 12 points.

Four red cards in the last five matches have also helped make it a finale to forget for Leeds, who if they lose at home to Leicester a week tomorrow will set an unwanted record of 11 league defeats at Elland Road in one season.

Warnock added: “Results-wise, the last few weeks have been far from the best.

“But we now have a chance to try and finish with a couple of positive results against two very good teams.”