Leeds United ‘forgotten man’ Georginio Rutter speculated to produce ‘wildcard moment’ v Newcastle United
Leeds United outcast Georginio Rutter could produce a “wildcard moment” against Newcastle United on Saturday (13 May), according to journalist William Jackson.
The young striker played for the club’s Under-21s in their 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Monday (8 May) amid his struggles to land a place in the first team.
New Whites boss Sam Allardyce attended that youth encounter in person, leading to hope for Rutter’s first team opportunities for the final three matches of the season.
“Prior to this week, it would have been fair to say Georginio Rutter was Leeds United’s forgotten man,” Jackson wrote for Leeds Live. “The club record signing has failed to make the desired impact since his January switch from Hoffenheim and he has struggled for senior game time as a result.
“United have reached a point in the season where one moment of magic could be the difference between survival and relegation, though, and Rutter might just have earned the chance to try to provide it. Any lasting impact he can make at this stage could go a long way towards paying off that eye-watering price tag and relieving some of the pressure that has clearly come with it.
“The club needs every member of its squad to step up over the remaining three games and given the chance, Rutter might just be the man to produce that wildcard moment.”
Hope for Rutter
To say Rutter’s time at Leeds so far has been underwhelming would be an understatement, with the striker failing to score in any of his 12 appearances so far.
In his defence, most of those appearances come from the bench, while he also joined a club in turmoil, with things simply going from bad to worse for the club ever since his arrival.
The recent outing for the club’s Under-21s will, however, provide him with a much-needed confidence boost, with Allardyce also benefitting from the game by witnessing the player in action.
The current boss is under no pressure to play Rutter in the coming weeks given how he was not the manager to bring him to Elland Road, but Big Sam should be willing to try anything and everything to get points on the board.
Unfortunately for Rutter, Leeds have a very tough challenge up next against Newcastle, with that fixture representing a huge step up in class from the Under-21s.
The youngster’s long-term future at the club is already up in the air, but he could ease those worries by having a major say when handed any minutes for the senior team in the coming weeks.
In other Leeds United news, Allardyce may make just one change to his starting XI for the match against Newcastle on Saturday.