Leeds boss Jesse Marsch not afraid to throw ex-Chelsea youngster Lewis Bate into the action after Arsenal cameo
Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch isn’t afraid to give ex-Chelsea youngster Lewis Bate more Premier League minutes in their survival battle.
Bate, 19, made the move north after being promised more first team opportunities at Elland Road.
The former Chelsea youth player has featured three times in the Premier League after making his debut in Leeds’ 3-2 win at West Ham in January.
Leeds’ boss Marsch believes the youngster is ready to perform whenever he may be called upon.
As quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post, Marsch said: “He’s been training really well and he’s been playing well with the 23s.
“I have no doubts that if we need Lewis at some point here in the next three matches, he’ll be ready to play and perform like he did this afternoon [against Arsenal].
Marsch added: “As soon as I saw Klichy had a yellow and we didn’t need another lost player in the process then I was 100 per cent ready to put Lewis on the pitch and not surprised at all with his performance.”
Learning curve
For young players like Bate, the experience of a relegation battle is one that will stand him in good stead for his future career.
At the age of 19, most young players are plying their trade in sanitised academies environments, instead of playing first-team football.
For Bate to be entrusted in a relegation run-in shows the high regard he is held in at Elland Road.
The minutes that Marsch has given him will be invaluable for him going forward.
If Leeds were to succumb to relegation and end their two season stay in the Premier League, then Bate is the type of player that could thrive in the Championship playing regular minutes.
Leeds face Bate’s ex side, Chelsea, on Wednesday [May, 11] knowing they almost certainly need to take something from the game to ignite their survival hopes.
Marsch’s side currently sit in the bottom three, level on points with Burnley knowing that a point will take them back out of the drop zone
In other Leeds news, Jonathan Woodgate shares hope Leeds United will survive and if he would’ve kept Marcelo Bielsa