Joe Gelhardt could play for Leeds United Under 21’s v Tranmere in EFL trophy
Joe Gelhardt is set to feature for Leeds United Under-21’s in their EFL Trophy clash against Tranmere on Tuesday after his absence against Aston Villa.
The Whites were held to a 0-0 draw at Elland Road after being reduced to ten men thanks to Luis Sinisterra’s red card early in the second half, but Gelhardt wasn’t part of the match-day squad despite taking part in the warm up.
After the game manager Jesse Marsch admitted that it was simply a technical decision and that Gelhardt has now dropped down the pecking order behind other options which means he could feature for the youth squad in midweek instead.
“Fitness test. He was perfectly healthy, but we wanted him to do some running to boost his fitness levels,” he shared, as quoted by Leeds-Live [2 October].
“Not based on performance. A lot of guys performing well. Could say pecking order, but I really like Joffy.
“Maybe use him on Tuesday with a few others. Please don’t take it as a negative from Joffy.”
Breakthrough?
This season was supposed to be the real breakthrough for Gelhardt after his heroics in the 2021/22 season when Patrick Bamford was out.
But after Raphinha was sold and Marsch opted to bring in Luis Sinisterra, Brenden Aaronson and then Wilfried Gnonto during the summer window it’s seen Gelhardt drop further and further down the pecking order.
He was humiliated against Everton after being subbed on when Rodrigo got injured then getting hooked off when the team was chasing a goal, and now he’s behind a teenager in the running for first-team minutes.
Gelhardt will be keen to play regularly to continue his excellent development, which led to Jamie Carragher labelling him as “special” in the past, and that means a January exit could be on the cards.
A loan move to a Football League club may be perfect for him to play regularly and prove that he is good enough to feature regularly for Leeds or for another Premier League team instead.
In other Leeds news, Roy Keane and Micah Richards have blasted this “dreadful” performance vs Villa