Marti Cifuentes hails ‘X factor’ of Leeds United youngsters ahead of QPR clash
QPR manager Marti Cifuentes has praised Leeds United for their use of young players ahead of the clash at Loftus Park on Friday night (26 April).
The Whites travel to face the R’s needing three points to help maintain their hopes of automatic promotion.
Under Daniel Farke, young stars like Crycensio Summerville, Archie Gray, Georginio Rutter and Ethan Ampadu have been key.
Cifuentes, transcribed by Leeds Live, has piled praise on Leeds while speaking ahead of his side’s final home game of the season.
He said: “It is always a big challenge to play against big teams, with experienced managers but we are looking forward to facing that challenge. They have a lot of talent in their team, young players with X factor.
“We know that if we want to get something from this game we have to deliver our best performance otherwise there’s not chance for us.”
How have young players performed for Leeds United?
Following relegation there was a mass exodus of talent from Elland Road as they prepared for Championship football.
Farke came in as Luis Sinisterra, Tyler Adams, Rodrigo and Robin Koch went the other way.
It was clear the type of player that the German coach was after as he signed Ampadu on 19 July. This was followed by Joel Piroe, Karl Darlow, Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara on permanent deals.
This put an emphasis on promoting young players to the first team and allowing them to show what they can do.
Summerville has done exactly that after winning Championship Player of the Year. According to FotMob, he has scored 19 goals and assisted another nine. He has been the heartbeat of the Leeds front line.
Alongside him has been Rutter who has bounced back after a tough first season at Elland Road. He has six goals and 15 assists of his own [FotMob].
Arguably the jewel in the young player’s crown has been Gray. An 18-year-old Leeds fan has made 42 appearances for the Whites this season as promotion looks a genuine possibility.
There is no doubt that young players have improved Leeds this season and it is great to see that being noticed by opposition managers.
In other Leeds news, one Elland Road star looks certain to leave the club in July now.
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