LEEDS United jet off to Australia on Sunday in high spirits after a 4-0 pre-season friendly victory over Blackpool at the LNER Community Stadium.

Leeds are flying to the Gold Coast for the Queensland Champions Cup tournament with games against Brisbane Roar and Aston Villa followed by a game against Crystal Palace in Perth.

The Community Stadium felt like the Aussie Sunshine State when a near-capacity crowd saw Leeds turn up the heat on a balmy sun-kissed evening to outclass Blackpool.

None of the United outfield players who had been on international duty featured, including wanted man Raphinha, who only returned to training at Thorp Arch on the morning of the game against the Seasiders.

Head coach Jesse Marsch was delighted with the result and workout, but was unsure if the Brazilian star, subject to transfer speculation all summer, would be on the plane to Australia.

The boss said: “Right now, he’s our player, he trained with everybody. He had such a good attitude.

"We had a very open and honest conversation about while he’s here he’s part of us and we’ll see what happens."

Also absent was Patrick Bamford, who scored the only goal in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Stoke the previous weekend.

Marsch said that the club is easing the forward back into action gently after last season’s injury-hit campaign and added: “We are actively hunting a striker and then I feel like it’ll feel pretty close to full strength and I’ll feel good about the group.”

Feyenoord’s Colombian winger Luis Sinisterra became United’s sixth close season signing on Thursday, following American midfield duo Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Saltzburg) and Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Danish international right-back , Rasmus Kristensen (RB Saltzburg) midfielder Marc Roca (Bayern Munich) and 18-year-old midfield prospect Darko Gyabi (Manchester City) who arrived as part of the £45m deal which took Kalvin Phillips to the Etihad.

Roca was the only new man to start against Blackpool but it was another newcomer, 16-year-old Archie Gray, who stole the show with a scintillating midfield performance.

Marsch confirmed that the precocious teenager would be part of the first team group for the new season.

“He’s the complete package. He can play at 6, 8 or 10,” said the buoyant Marsch, whose team played in his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation against Blackpool with Joe Gelhardt as the lone striker.

Robin Koch knocked home a 10th-minute opener, Junior Firpo doubled the lead 12 minutes later by heading in Jack Harrison’s corner and Rodrigo made it 3-0 after being set up by Gelhardt.

Both sides made multiple changes at the interval, Blackpool sending on an entirely new 11. The second period lacked the fluency of the first, but the Leeds youngsters rounded off the night with a deflected strike by Mateo Joseph on 84 minutes.

Leeds United: Meslier, (Klaesson HT), Drameh (Shackleton 61), Koch (Mullen HT), Firpo (Davis 45), Koch (Mullen 45), Struijk (Moore 61), Roca (Bate 61), Gray (Allen 72), Greenwood (McGurk 61), Rodrigo (Miller HT), Harrison (Forshaw 61), Gelhardt (Joseph 61).