Edmondson out to impress Bielsa and Leeds United while on loan at the Cobblers

Keith Curle is not the only manager Ryan Edmondson is trying to impress during his time on loan with the Cobblers.

Scoring goals and helping Northampton survive in League One this season is Edmondson's first priority but with grand ambitions to become a first-team regular at parent clubs Leeds United, he knows he must also impress the famously meticulous Marcelo Bielsa.

He might be 130 miles away and focused on Leeds' first campaign back in the Premier League but Bielsa will be keeping a close eye on the 19-year-old's progress.

"I know Bielsa was asking for video clips of every game and almost every minute that I played at Aberdeen, even training games," said Edmondson. "Everyone at the club knows Bielsa will watch you like a hawk - your body weight, your body fat, even the amount of running you do in training and in games. You're always being watched.

"It's good he does that because it gives you motivation to stay on top of things and keep yourself in the best possible shape because the bigger picture is trying to get into the first-team at Leeds, but I'm focused on there here and now at Northampton.

"I want to help the team and score goals and if that helps me get towards Leeds' first-team in the future, that would be amazing."

Rewarded by Leeds with a new long-term contract only last year, Edmondson hopes five months at Northampton will accelerate his progress.

He added: "Leeds didn't want me going anywhere until I had signed a new contract so that gave me confidence that they still wanted me at the club and they were watching me very closely.

"They wanted me to go out and get that experience of first-team action before I returned. It's difficult as a youngster to push through at Premier League standard so you definitely need to get yourself out there into lower league football where you can play regularly and get a feel for the men's game and hopefully improve.

"The coaches at Leeds said I had done well at Aberdeen but it was a pity that I wasn't involved as much as I wanted to be. It was definitely the right decision to come back to England and come to a club that's willing to give you the game-time that you need."

Edmondson started his career with York City before working his way through the youth ranks at Leeds, but League One football is a very different experience.

"It's very different to U23s football," he admitted. "It's very pretty and down on the floor when you're coming through youth football but sometimes at professional level it can be a scrap.

"The conditions aren't always perfect and you're not going to be playing on a carpet every week but you have to adapt to it and thrive in that environment. It's a massive difference in terms of the tempo of the game and the physicality.

"Coming out to Northampton, it's a big test for me and a lot different but hopefully I can do well."