Warnock wants to keep McCormack

Leeds United manager Neil Warnock wants to keep striker Ross McCormack despite interest from several other clubs.

The Scottish forward scored 19 goals in 49 appearances for the Championship club in all competitions last season but turned down an extension on his contract which runs out in less than 12 months.

That led to speculation on McCormack’s future, with the likes of Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton and Blackburn Rovers all linked with moves for the 25-year-old.

After the sale of captain Robert Snodgrass to Norwich City on Thursday – the second United skipper to join the Carrow Road outfit in 2012 – Warnock does not want another prized asset to leave the club.

And the former QPR and Sheffield United boss says the only way McCormack is leaving Leeds, which he does not want, is if a suitable exchange of player is offered.

“There have been a couple of clubs ask about buying him but we don’t want to sell him unless there is a player exchange,” Warnock told Yorkshire Radio.

“I would rather keep him and Ross knows that. I think we will have to play it by ear. If Ross starts to enjoy himself, which I think he is then we will see how it goes.

“We can’t lose players like Snodgrass and McCormack without replacing them, where would the goals come from?”