Marcelo Bielsa comments on Leeds winger Raphinha ahead of Wolves clash
Marcelo Bielsa has suggested that Raphinha has been doing brilliant work at Leeds United, and deservedly got his chance to represent Brazil during the recent international break.
The 24-year-old was simply one of the stand-out players last season for Leeds, and has been in fine form in 2021-22 and got a call-up to represent his country.
Raphinha impressed heavily for Brazil earning rave reviews from his fellow teammates and former players.
Ahead of the Whites’ Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, Bielsa was asked what benefit he finds in Raphinha’s Brazil performance for Leeds.
The Argentine has suggested that it’s inevitable that the steps Raphinha has been taking at Leeds are being noticed, otherwise, he would not have been picked for his country.
“I think it’s a logical process, it’s inevitable that the steps Raphinha has been taking, they wouldn’t [have] taken him to the place where he is now,” said Bielsa during the pre-match press conference.
Fit to start
This is a massive game for Leeds as they need to bounce back to winning ways after a terrible start to the season.
The Yorkshire outfit have managed just one win so far in the league and are heading into this game on the back of a 1-0 defeat against Southampton suffered last week.
Raphinha was rested from that game, but the Brazilian is fully fit to feature against Wolves. The attacking midfielder has scored three goals already this season, but his contributions go beyond scoring and producing assists.
Recently, Jamie Shackleton has said that Raphinha surprises everyone in training with his bags of trickery but at the same time, he tracks back a lot and puts in huge defensive shifts during the game.
Leeds, meanwhile, are likely to be without Kalvin Phillips for this game. Bielsa confirmed that he has just returned to training after a three-week absence and he is still not fully match fit.
In other Leeds United news, a talkSPORT host has blasted a Whites ace in an on-air rant, insisting he is not Premier League standard.