Peter White runs the rule over Rovers' cup opponents tonight

LEEDS United are the team of the moment, having stormed to the very top of the Premiership. But they are the team of the future too.

And it is not only Leeds manager David O'Leary who believes the best is yet to come from the superb collection of young players that has been assembled at Elland Road.

Howard Wilkinson, now one of the game's leading technical lights at his powerful position within the Football Association, and former England boss Graham Taylor are just two of the men in the know singing the praises of the super kids who are hot favourites to end Blackburn Rovers' Worthington Cup hopes tonight.

O'Leary, whose own managerial career is blossoming in tandem with that of his fast-developing players, knows how much he has going for him.

Yet he refuses to burden them with the expectations rising every minute among the Leeds faithful, especially since the climb to the peak of the Premiership.

"I'm still a young manager learning my trade but I'd like to think we have won some admirers with the way we play football," he said.

"But we will get no prizes for being top now, although it's a lot better than being last.

"We're a young side and we will make mistakes.

"I don't know where we will finish and I can only be judged in May."

It might well be premature to talk in terms of titles but Leeds are strongly fancied to do well in the knockout competitions and the Worthington Cup would seem to provide them with an ideal opportunity to ensure a continuation of European football at Elland Road. If the likes of Taylor, whose Watford side were the victims as Leeds went top, and Wilkinson are to be believed honours will not be too far away.

And ex-Leeds boss Wilkinson is ecstatic about the English jewels in the Elland Road crown.

Striker Alan Smith, England senior central defender Jonathon Woodgate and back-up keeper Paul Robinson have all graduated from the Leeds academy to make their mark.

Wilkinson also took Lee Bowyer from Charlton to Leeds while the midfielder was still a teenager and O'Leary has cleverly added the likes of Danny Mills and Michael Bridges to the staff.

Leeds could provide virtually half the current England under-21 side and Wilkinson is proud he had a role to play in laying the foundations for that.

"It is very pleasant to know that something you conceived 10 years ago, something you managed to get mapped out, blue-printed and accepted by directors is now bearing fruit," he said.

"The scheme, the planning and the thinking must have been all right and then after that the people who worked on it must have done a good job."

Rovers have a major job on their hands tonight.

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