By Daniel Feliciano

31st Aug, 2022 | 12:40pm

Joe Gelhardt should consider late Leeds United exit after Jesse Marsch humiliation v Everton

Joe Gelhardt should consider a quick, temporary Leeds United exit before the deadline after being humiliated by manager Jesse Marsch against Everton.

The young striker was named as a substitute for the game as the boss continued to go with Rodrigo as the striker in the absence of Patrick Bamford through injury during the 1-1 draw against the Toffees.

When Rodrigo dislocated his shoulder midway through the first half, it was young “Joffy” who was called upon by the boss, despite Bamford sitting on the bench for the first time in three games.

Gelhardt played well too, holding up the ball and bringing his fellow forwards into play and coming close to scoring twice – once missing the target and once forcing an excellent save from England number one Jordan Pickford.

But as the game began to wind down and Leeds went chasing a winning goal, Marsch made the embarrassing decision to hook Gelhardt for Bamford and committing the cardinal sin of substituting his substitute.

It raises the question that if the manager doesn’t trust Gelhardt to affect the game after he came on as a substitute against a team that is yet to win a game this season, then when will he?

Gelhardt proved last season that he is ready for the Premier League. He was excellent during the run-in to avoid relegation and came up with big moments at key times, so this lack of faith is surprising.

With the club trying hard to bring in a new striker before the end of the transfer window, this is likely to push Gelhardt further down the pecking order and further reduce his chances of regular game time.

As it stands, Gelhardt is in a position where he needs regular minutes to continue his development and progress to become the player that he could potentially be. As hard as it is to say, that doesn’t seem like Elland Road right now.

Should another striker come in, then the 20-year-old must surely push for a quick and surprise exit in order to keep up his level of development and not allow himself to stagnate.

If he does, the only person to blame would be Marsch who instead of showing faith in his quality options he instead scapegoated a young player and smashed his confidence out of him at a key moment.

It’s unlikely to happen, but it’s probably one to keep an eye on for January at the very least if the rest of the season continues in the same vein that the opening five games have gone.

In other Leeds news, Euro club “fear” star man’s exit before deadline with Leeds circling for £34m move