10 Players Who Probably Regret Joining Leeds United

The form of Michael Ricketts while he was plying his trade for Bolton Wanderers famously won him an England call-up but a big-money switch to Middlesbrough proved a disaster and when he was on the move again in 2004, he needed to find the right club to relaunch his career.

It soon became evident that Leeds United was not that club. The Lilywhites had just dropped down to the Championship and were looking to put together a squad to reclaim their place in the top flight, but while the season was disappointing for Leeds, it was a disaster for Ricketts.

In 22 league appearances that season, he failed to score a single goal and his only strike of the season came in a League Cup tie against Swindon Town. Even when he was subsequently loaned out to Stoke City, he made just one start and 10 substitute appearances without troubling the goalscoring charts.

It continued the sad demise of a forward who had rose to prominence at the Reebok Stadium and he spent the remainder of his career moving from club to club trying to recapture his form. Failure to do so led to his retirement at the age of 32.