MOT view: £16m ace on borrowed time at Leeds as Poveda set for start v Crawley
Leeds United journey to Crawley in the FA Cup third round this weekend, and the tie could provide a rare starting opportunity for Ian Poveda.
The winger has had to be patient for game time since arriving last January.
In spite of that, the 20-year-old seems fond of Marcelo Bielsa, recently praising his manager’s passion in an interview with BBC Radio Leeds.
That conversation also included the topic of Sunday’s match, and Poveda’s preparation comments suggest he could be in line to start.
The Red Devils are unbeaten in nine matches and have cup pedigree, having reached the fifth round in 2011 as a non-league outfit.
Poveda will have to be at his sharpest, then, particularly if he is to stake a strong claim for a regular starting place.
Rising up the pecking order
The form of Jack Harrison and Raphinha means the former Man City player has understandably had to settle for substitute appearances.
However, Poveda seems to be Bielsa’s first-choice back-up for those two with an impressive display.
Helder Costa has fallen out of favour after starting the first eight league games of the season.
The last of those starts was in the disastrous 4-1 defeat at Crystal Palace, at the beginning of November.
Since then the Portugal international has played just 55 minutes compared to Poveda’s 97.
He could get a start on Sunday, too, but must be running out of opportunities to live up to his £16m price tag.
An average WhoScored rating of 6.4 shows he was rightly dropped in favour of Raphinha, who has completed 20 key passes compared to Costa’s seven.
Sunday gives Poveda the chance to show that if Harrison or Raphina are injured, that he should be the next name on the team sheet.
In other Leeds United news, Paul Robinson tips £1.5m man to make his Leeds debut on Sunday.