David Woods

Sat 27 June 2020 9:20, UK

Ian Poveda finally made his Leeds United debut last Sunday, although the end result wasn’t one he’ll want to remember. 

It was the end of a long road back to the first-team squad after Poveda signed from Man City in January.

He made the bench in his first two games after signing but was then dropped for seven games in a row.

It was a surprise as, after he signed, Leeds mainstay Stuart Dallas had said that no-one had settled into the squad quicker than Poveda.

Now, in an interview with the BBC, Dallas has delivered more insight into the Poveda situation, admitting that he still needs to work on elements of his game and have more confidence in his game.

“He’s a good lad, first and foremost, he’s a good lad,” said Dallas. “He works hard in training. It’s the manager’s decision what he does with him.

“He’s one where you just need to put an arm around him at times and give him a bit of encouragement.

“He knows he’s good enough, he knows he’s got talent, but he just needs to work on extra things and obviously the way we play, you’ve got to work hard and he’s got that. Sometimes you just need to tell him and make him believe.

“He can be a top player.”

There had been plenty of people speculating about why Poveda had been dropped from the Leeds squad, but no one had cited a lack of confidence.

The good thing is that Bielsa obviously now believes he’s at a level to play.

Poveda is a talent, though – he proved that in his short cameo against Cardiff which should have given him a lot of confidence.

He looked bright and sharp, and he wasn’t scared to run at players. However, what we were most impressed by was his maturity on the ball.

He didn’t just put his head down and run. if his route to the byline was cut off then he looked back and found a teammate.

He rarely lost the ball and looks like a real option for Bielsa going into the season run-in.

In other Leeds United news, ‘Tense and tight’ – Jeff Stelling & Matt Le Tissier predict score in huge Leeds v Fulham clash