Prutts pays tribute to Windass
David Prutton has paid tribute to the longevity of Dean Windass after a friendly encounter with the veteran Hull City striker this week.
Prutton and Windass were both involved in a behind-closed-doors game between Leeds and Hull on Monday morning, and the practice match led to a week of rumours linking City's 39-year-old forward with a loan move to Elland Road.
Windass' chances at Hull have been limited this season following City's promotion to the Premier League, and the two clubs were forced to issue denials on Thursday in response to reports that he would join up with United ahead of their match at Cheltenham Town this afternoon.
Gary McAllister claimed he had "no immediate plans" to strengthen his squad, and the Leeds boss has also indicated that players will be required to leave Elland Road before he can add others to the club's wage bill.
But McAllister expressed admiration for the condition of Windass after Monday's friendly and Prutton was also impressed by the forward's fitness, admitting he would welcome his arrival at Elland Road if Leeds made a serious attempt to bring Windass to West Yorkshire.
Prutton said: "You get the whole package with Dean.
"He's played for a hell of a long time at a very high level and I don't think you can play for that long without picking a lot of things up.
"Even the bits of him I saw on Monday showed that he has a great understanding, and he's clever in the way he uses other players and uses space.
"As a personality, I think he'd be good to have around. People assume that when a footballer gets to a certain age that's them done, but he's battling against that and he's showing that he can still do a job. Having a talismanic figure like that would be great."
McAllister is not short of options in attack and his two leading strikers, Jermaine Beckford and Luciano Becchio, have already scored 20 goals between them this season.
Summer signing Enoch Showunmi has made a smaller impression on United's term, though the ex-Bristol City forward has scored four times in his five starts, and McAllister also has Scottish striker Robert Snodgrass available to him.
Prutton said: "If you look at the raw pace of Becks, the strength and the adaptability that Luciano's given us, and the power of Enoch, I think Windass would bring something else to that group."
Hull chairman Paul Duffen appears to have ruled out any prospect of Windass linking up with Leeds, describing speculation claiming the striker was poised to sign for United as a "non-story", but the 39-year-old looks unlikely to play a major role in Hull's Premier League campaign.
Windass' strike in last season's Championship play-off final carried Hull into England's top flight for the first time in their history, but a spate of signings at the KC Stadium during the summer has left him on the fringes of Phil Brown's squad.
YEP
