Javi Gracia may be tempted to start Crysencio Summerville in Leeds United clash v Arsenal as Wilfred Gnonto injury blow emerges
Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto is out of Saturday's [1 April] clash against Arsenal at the Emirates and Javi Gracia will be tempted to start Crysencio Summerville in his place.
The Whites face a triple injury blow ahead of Saturday's game with the Premier League league leaders after what turned into a dreadful international break.
Gnonto [ankle] and Max Wober [thigh] both returned from respective international matches for Italy and Austria with injury niggles and could well be set for a spell out while midfield enforcer Tyler Adams could be out for the remainder of the season with a hamstring injury [LUFC FANZONE, 28 March].
All three players' absence certainly leaves a gaping hole in Gracia's squad for Saturday, but the Spaniard will now need to rely on some of his other stars to fill and make an impact, and one player who will certainly be desperate for a start at Emirates will be Summerville.
The young winger has featured 23 times in all competitions for Leeds in the current season, registering four goals and two assists and has already brought high praise from a Leeds United legend over his performances.
Tony Dorigo wrote on tonydorigo.com [29 March]: “I like the look of Summerville this season.
“He has such good composure and confidence on the ball as a young player.
“A lot of players in tight areas don’t like to play quickly, or their composure doesn’t quite allow them to, but Summerville is very happy to take the ball under pressure. He has the ability to get out of those areas with great skill.
“I’ve heard lots of good stories about him on the training ground; people last year were saying, ‘wow, this kid has great ability,’ and he hadn’t quite transferred that onto the pitch, but this season, we’re seeing him in the first team. He’s clearly got something about him, and we’re seeing what it is.”
Indeed, Summerville is one of the club's most prized young assets right now and has already proven he can perform amongst the elite this season, scoring crucial goals against Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham and scoring at Anfield against Liverpool before the World Cup break.
With the Whites looking to score more goals in their quest for survival, it's a chance for the talented 21-year-old to continually prove his worth for Gracia, and there may be no better platform for that than at the Emirates.
His explosiveness, dribbling qualities and unpredictability in the final third could come in handy for Leeds on the transition against Arsenal.
Four goals and two assists is an impressive return for the forward, but he's yet to score this calendar year. With Gnonto out on the treatment table for the foreseeable, the Dutch wonderkid must show that he's got what it takes to replace the Italian's quality.
And that may well be beyond this season, with Gnonto attracting much interest from elite clubs this summer. Gracia holds a pivotal decision to make ahead of Saturday's crucial encounter.