By George Overhill

21st Sep, 2022 | 7:10pm

Leeds United sensation Sonny Perkins scores yet again on England under-19s debut

Sonny Perkins continued his incredible goalscoring form for Leeds United by netting on his England under-19s debut against Montenegro.

After a contentious move from West Ham in the summer the teenager has gone from strength to strength in west Yorkshire, having so far not played a game in a Whites shirt without scoring.

Five in his first four outings with the United under-21s landed him the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award on Friday (16 September), on the same day that he scored his sixth in the hammering of Southampton in what fans will hope is his first of many at Elland Road.

He also received his first call up to the Three Lions under-19s side, having previously featured for the under-18s, that day, and was immediately handed a first start for the European Championship qualifier against Montenegro on Wednesday evening (21 September).

True to form he duly registered his first at the new age group, scoring the second in the 78th minute to secure a 2-0 win.

Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Joe Donnohue wrote on his personal Twitter account after the goal: “Sonny Perkins with a goal on his England Under-19 debut. The run continues. Beating Montenegro 2-0.”

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Perkins was highly rated coming out of the West Ham academy, and had featured for the first team, but they were very unhappy with the wage demands that led to his exit.

Based on his immense form since they might feel like those demands were worth meeting, as he currently looks like the best young scorer in the country.

There has been a lot of focus on the forward position at Elland Road over the summer and the early weeks of the season, but the 18-year-old has gone somewhat under the radar.

Clearly, the first team is a lot different to the under-21s, but with Patrick Bamford possessing great quality yet injury prone, and Joe Gelhardt unlucky as much as anything behind him, Perkins may not be far off his first-team debut.

Willy Gnonto was signed in desperation on deadline day when the move for Bamba Dieng farcically fell apart, so the young firepower at Thorp Arch is now formidable.

This scoring run, not least as a new arrival, is something that is becoming harder and harder to ignore and the signs are extremely positive in the early weeks of Perkins’ Whites career.

In other Leeds United news, radio silence from Marcelo Bielsa is holding up behind the scenes plans at the club.