Leeds United midfielder Neil Kilkenny has hit out at former Birmingham City manager Steve Bruce, who is now in charge at Wigan Athletic.

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The Australian playmaker fell out of the first-team picture at St Andrews last season and was forced to look elsewhere for regular football.

Kilkenny impressed at Oldham on loan before rejecting Doncaster to join Leeds on a permanent transfer during the January transfer window.

The 22-year-old, who is expected to line up in Sunday's League One play-off final against Rovers, now hopes Leeds will be higher than Bruce's Wigan in a few years' time.

"This time last year I was on my knees at Birmingham," he explained. "I had to get out of there.

"He (Bruce) wasn't very good for me. He wouldn't play me but he wouldn't let me go. I used to train with the other players but when it came to Saturday I didn't play.

"That went on for a year. I was really down, it was the lowest I've ever been. I begged him to let me go out on loan. Luckily he let me go back to Oldham. I knew I'd be happy there.

"Alex McLeish said I could go. Hopefully, in three or four years we'll be in a better position than Wigan and I'll be here playing football in the Premier League."