“I thought that Shackleton evolves,” said Marcelo Bielsa, after Leeds’ 1-0 win over Watford, and if the game was evidence for the manager, Jamie’s post-match interview on LUTV was proof for the rest of us.

Shackleton’s fine start to the season has been rewarded by his graduation to the group of players — Liam Cooper, Luke Ayling, Stuart Dallas, Patrick Bamford — the club rely on not to get too carried away while looking forward to the next match without saying anything that might generate an unwanted headline or particularly interesting copy. It’s still new to Shacks, though, and he looked relieved each time Bryn Law asked him a question he could answer with a cliche: Is that a relief to get that win under the belt? Leeds were completely dominant, weren’t they? You’ve had a lot of involvement so far this season, has that been good for you? Wide-eyed and thinking carefully about every word he was going to say, Shackleton gave off a vibe of Bradley Walsh’s character Dave Dodds in Mike Bassett: England Manager.

This isn’t a dig at Shackleton. I think he’s great, and as much as I love how the club manages to touch people from all around the world, hearing a Leeds player with a Leeds accent always makes my heart flutter. Speaking in front of cameras with the expectation you’re going to say ‘the right thing’ is a weird scenario when all you want to do is go home, lie on the sofa and not think about tomorrow’s murderball session.

And it really is a sign Shackleton is finally starting to establish himself as a first team player at Leeds after three seasons of promise have failed to produce consistent minutes on the pitch. After nine games this season, he’s played 55% of the minutes available, compared to 18% across the whole of last season and 14% of the promotion campaign. Luke Ayling’s injury has helped, but so has Shackleton’s good form. “A year on he increases his hierarchy in the group,” Bielsa said before the first game of the season, and he’s been true to his word.

Shackleton may not be able to disguise his baby face in front of the post-match cameras, but in Premier League matches he’s starting to perfect the scowl of a senior player, looking cross with himself whenever he makes a mistake, like a grown up should, holding himself to the same standards as the internationals around him. He’s still got a few tricks to learn. Ten minutes before conceding a foul throw dangerously close to Leeds’ box, when Elland Road was becoming engulfed by tension late on against Watford, Shackleton had successfully stolen ten yards on another throw-in with a self-assured thumbs up to the referee that said everything was okay. He went a little too far when he was penalised for the next one, failing to spot ref Simon Hooper was still pissed off about Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis making a binoculars gesture towards him. Shackleton cheekily ambled more like thirty yards up the line but forgot the thumbs up, returning to his new scowl as Hooper called a foul throw.

If Shackleton evolves as Bielsa said, to the point that he’s winning free-kicks by falling and grabbing the ball whenever he’s touched in the back, Luke Ayling should start worrying. Before you know it, Baby Shack will be sitting down with Tubes for Soccer AM, talking through the evolution of his fresh new man-bun. ◉