Warnock gets his building underway and looks to keep five as foundations

The United manager sat down with Robert Snodgrass, Ross McCormack, Adam Clayton, Aidy White and Darren O’Dea earlier this week to discuss their future plans.

White will be out of contract this summer and O’Dea is due to return to Celtic after a year-long loan stay at Elland Road. Snodgrass, McCormack and Clayton all have a little over 12 months remaining on their existing deals.

Warnock, who is keen to finalise his plans for next season as early as possible, told the Yorkshire Post: “They are just provisional talks and I am going to put together certain things. Then, when the chairman comes over at Easter I hope to have a meeting with him and tell him my views on all five players, including Darren O’Dea.

“I have talked to them all. I have explained my situation – about what I feel about their contribution. I have also said that if we can’t agree anything then I accept in certain cases they might have to go.

“But at the moment we haven’t talked about that. I just want them all to stay.”

On the need to formulate plans early for the 2012-13 campaign, Warnock added: “We have got to be positive this year and we have got to sign players at the end of this season, not in August.

“This has got to be a massive summer. There is no way I can put up with inconsistency or mid-table next season. That’s not my scene at my age.

“In the past we have let little things drift a little too much but you realise that you’ve got to plan ahead.

“There are lads who I have asked to pledge their future to the club and I will be putting that to Shaun (Harvey, chief executive) and the chairman (Ken Bates) at Easter.

“It is a great pull having a club like Leeds United. If you can agree terms, I don’t think there is another club I would want to go to if I was a player – not with fans like we have got and the stadium. And the manager.”

Warnock’s determination to thrash out the futures of five players who, between them, have played 193 games this season is understandable.

In the past couple of years, Leeds have lost Jermaine Beckford, Bradley Johnson and Neil Kilkenny as free agents after failing to agree new contracts with the trio.

Max Gradel and Jonny Howson also left earlier this term due to both players having less than a year to run on their deals.

Sitting down with McCormack, Snodgrass and Clayton was, therefore, a priority for Warnock, as was speaking to White about whether the left-back can be persuaded to stay beyond the end of this season.

However, the news that he has also discussed the future with O’Dea is more of a surprise – especially considering the United manager is still upset with the manner in which the Republic of Ireland international incurred a two-game ban at Millwall last weekend by picking up a 10th booking of the season.

O’Dea, who collected the yellow card following a tangle with Lions striker Andy Keogh, must sit out tomorrow’s home game against Watford and the Good Friday trip to Reading.

Warnock said: “It is a bloody soft suspension. If he had gone to the referee instead of walking away, he wouldn’t have booked him.

“What is the point in that? It is bloody stupid and now it will affect us.

“He will be sat at home with a lollipop with not a care in the world, while we are fighting fights.

“It is irresponsible and I don’t like that. If he would have gone straight to the referee he wouldn’t have got booked.”

Leigh Bromby and Andy O’Brien came through a behind-closed-doors reserve game unscathed earlier this week but will not be risked in tomorrow’s match with Watford.

White is a major doubt after not training yesterday due to an ankle injury.

Warnock added: “He went over on it at Millwall but we coped well.”

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