Middlesbrough fans will find Leeds United footage tough to watch | OneFootball

Jonny Howson showed his class in a recent pre-season friendly for Leeds United

Jonny Howson is back in a Leeds United shirt for the first time since his departure for Norwich City midway through the 2011/12 season.

The 37-year-old hasn't been brought in by Daniel Farke to marshal the midfield ahead of the new Premier League season, though, but instead is now a player-coach in the U21s side at Thorp Arch.

Howson had spent the last eight seasons at Middlesbrough. He was a staple of the matchday squad at the Riverside, rarely missing more than five league games a season and finishing his time in Teeside with 341 appearances under his belt.

The midfielder moved on at the culmination of his contract this summer, but many felt that he still had a little more to give the Championship side, despite his age.

And his performances in pre-season for the Leeds youth side show that he still oozes class on the field.

Jonny Howson's pre-season footage reveals new role at Leeds United

Despite his 21st birthday taking place back in 2009, Howson has been partaking in various pre-season friendlies for Leeds United's U21s side as they prepare for their Premier League 2 opener this Friday against Aston Villa.

Their final outing before the curtain-raiser took place this past Saturday, as the Whites took on Northern Counties East Premier Division (Step five of non-league) side, Tadcaster Albion.

Howson played across the backline, dominating his opposition en route to a 2-1 win.

His role as a coach allows him to help his players on the field in more ways than one, and his fellow defenders will learn plenty, having now played in the same backline as an EFL veteran with over 450 Championship appearances under his belt.

New Jonny Howson footage may be making Middlesbrough second guess his release

Middlesbrough started the season positively, defeating Swansea City 1-0, earning three points and a clean sheet in Rob Edwards' first game in charge at the Riverside.

However, all teams need good leadership, something which Howson provides in spades, and his performances at times throughout pre-season with his boyhood club show that when it comes to the 37-year-old, his class and reading of the game are permanent.

Obviously, with his most recent opponents playing in the ninth tier of the footballing pyramid, you have to take these performances with a pinch of salt, but this pre-season has shown that his fitness can still be relied on.

Middlesbrough were never going to be playing Howson the amount of minutes this season as we've seen him play in the past at the Riverside, as the club look to the future under Edwards, but for the leadership factor and the fact that he could still be relied on as a squad option, Boro may end up regretting not handing the 37-year-old a new deal this summer.