Leeds United players do not have to like Wilfried Gnonto after transfer twists
Ben Parker has claimed that the Leeds United squad “don’t have to like” Wilfried Gnonto as he is reintegrated into the Whites’ squad.
The Italian winger was confirmed to have returned to first-team training with the Whites (Phil Hay, 22 August) having previously refused to play for Daniel Farke’s side and handing in an official transfer request before their match against West Brom.
Parker has suggested that the senior members of the dressing room at Elland Road will have a big part to play in ensuring the team accepts the 19-year-old’s return, for relationships not to turn sour.
Speaking on the LS11 podcast on Wednesday (23 August) Parker said: “You can imagine the leadership group – Coops (Liam Cooper), (Luke) Ayling, (Patrick) Bamford, (Stuart) Dallas – the senior guys will be having a word.
“Everyone has got to be on the same page. It is all good having the manager and Angus (Kinnear) saying he is back in, but all the players have to be bang on it too. You don’t have to like the individual or go out for dinner. But you have that level of respect on the pitch.”
United team
When news broke of Gnonto’s refusal to play, without addressing the situation directly Farke said in a press conference that he only wanted players who were committed to Leeds United at Elland Road this season.
His, and CEO Kinnear’s decision to reintegrate Gnonto into the first-team squad would suggest that something has changed in the winger’s situation to make him driven to succeed in the Championship, otherwise, he would have remained sidelined.
But as Parker has alluded to, Gnonto’s actions won’t have been taken lightly by some members of the Elland Road changing room and rightly so after one of their teammates decided to down tools and refuse to be involved in the fight to return to the Premier League.
Leeds are lucky to have a captain with such good leadership skills as Cooper who will likely unite the entire squad together once again and a manager like Farke who has dealt with similar situations at Carrow Road with both Emi Buendia and Todd Cantwell.
Whether or not the fans at Elland Road will be as forgiving if Gnonto does pull on the white shirt again remains to be seen, but it would only take a few goals and a demonstration of his drive to succeed to win them over once more.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites have reignited their interest in a long-term midfield target