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Bielsa delivers Augustin update ahead of Leeds clash v Nottingham Forest
Marcelo Bielsa has delivered an update on Jean-Kevin Augustin ahead of the crunch Championship game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday – and it’s not what fans want to hear.
Bielsa was talking in his pre-match press conference (live in the LUFC app, Thursday, 12.30pm) ahead of the massive game on Saturday.
A win for Forest would put them just one point behind Leeds – the gap was 11 points before Christmas.
However, three defeats in four games has seen Leeds in a real slump with a 1-0 defeat to Wigan last time out a new low point.
Goals have been the problem for Leeds and fans are hoping Augustin is the man to provide them.
Bielsa had said it would take the new striker time to get up to speed at Leeds but he played 45 minutes in the Under-23s game on Monday.
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Now, however, Bielsa has said again that while Augustin is a player who can make an “impact”, the issue is that he’s only played three full games in the last eight months.
Augustin: "He's a player with a lot of impact, skills & resources. You can see that by the amount he has been bought & sold. But he's played 3 matches in 8 months. So the conclusion about his fitness level is clear." #lufc
— Adam Pope (@apopey) February 6, 2020
That’s not what Leeds fans will have been wanting to hear and it hints strongly that Augustin will not be involved against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Bielsa added that the problem Augustin has is that he wasn’t playing and “his fitness performance is very important”.
"If he arrived here without us paying that money, it's because he has to resolve a problem – that he wasn't playing. His fitness performance is very important."
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) February 6, 2020
He rounded off by saying Augustin would only play when he thought the striker was ready – and he seemed annoyed that he was still being questioned about it.
It begs the question, how fit do you need to be to come off the bench for the last ten minutes of the game?
And, if you can play 45 minutes for the Under-23s, surely you can play 5-10 minutes for the first team?
In other Leeds United news, ‘Hand a transfer request in; Disgraceful’: Many Leeds fans fume at comments from senior club man