Joe Gelhardt unlikely to start v Fulham
Marcelo Bielsa is reportedly unlikely to throw Joe Gelhardt into the Leeds United playing eleven against Fulham later today (Tuesday).
According to LeedsLive, may have to wait for his senior debut for the Whites and could be restricted to the bench for this game.
The 19-year-old scored two and assisted another on Sunday as the Whites development squad thrashed the Liverpool Under-23s by a 4-0 scoreline.
Deserves a start?
With Patrick Bamford unlikely to feature and Tyler Roberts misfiring, it makes sense to hand the youngster his first ever senior start.
Given that it’s a cup game, there will be very little pressure on him and the fact that it will be his debut means he will not be expected to deliver a goal-scoring performance.
Should he exceed expectations, there’s a very good chance that the Argentine begins to consider him for his matchday squads.
Rodrigo has played a deeper role and could permanently be moved there if Bielsa has a backup striker he can rely on.
The manager sees the academy as an extension of the first team anyway, so we won’t be surprised if Gelhardt plays some minutes later today.
At 19, he’s shown a lot of responsibility and has taken the onus on his shoulders to win games for the Under-23s.
Bielsa certainly loves players who are not fazed by the occasion and Gelhardt would be the type of character he’ll surely enjoy working with.
He’s earned his time in the sun and we cannot wait to see him action against Fulham.
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