Leeds ace faces more tests before being able to play in run-in, murderball key – reliable journo
Jean-Kevin Augustin may have trimmed down and got a lot fitter during lockdown, but the Leeds United loanee is not yet assured a place in Marcelo Bielsa’s plans, according to LeedsLive journalist Beren Cross.
Leeds signed Augustin, 22, on loan from RB Leipzig in January after the French striker endured a frustrating temporary spell at Monaco in the first half of the season.
During his short-lived time in Ligue 1, Augustin barely played and arrived at Leeds in January well short of Bielsa’s fitness requirements.
As a result, Augustin played just three times as a substitute between his January arrival and the Championship season being halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He has since recovered from a hamstring injury that was troubling him and Leeds are impressed with the progress he’s made but Cross has detailed that the striker has more work to do to impress Bielsa.
Writing in a Q&A session on he LeedsLive website, the reporter wrote: “They are certainly encouraged by what they have seen so far from Augustin, but he still has many tests to pass before Bielsa can be properly sold on him in a match situation. He absolutely needs to cut the mustard in the murderball sessions and keep on top of his weight, as they all do. You can see from the footage at the top of this page, Augustin is still working with a group largely made up of the back-up attackers, rather than with the regular first team.
“He has a much, much better chance of making an impact than he would have done on the original timeline for the season.”
Murderball has always been key for Bielsa.
As previously described by Mateusz Klich, murderball is a training session when an 11v11 match is played with no stoppages so it is a session of constant running, sprinting and playing the game while coaches are on the field screaming at players to continue running.
Let’s see if Augustin can impress in those sessions. If he does, Bielsa’s team selection is likely to suggest that once the season restarts on June 20.
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