Blistering form: Phil Hay names Leeds U23 ace Bielsa keeps talking about, debut v Crawley likely
Sam Greenwood’s blistering form has left him knocking on the door of the Leeds United first-team, according to The Athletic’s Phil Hay.
The striker who signed for Leeds from Arsenal for a fee of over £1m has been turning heads in the Under-23s, where he’s scored six in eight appearances this season.
The Leeds Under-23s are top of Premier League 2 Division 2.
“One of the interesting things about Leeds United’s academy is the regular mention of players in dispatches,” Hay said.
“It is not so much about who is causing a general stir as who at any given time is making Marcelo Bielsa sit up… Before Christmas, Sam Greenwood’s name kept coming up.
“It would seem that Greenwood in particular is on his mind, and increasingly close to the coal face.”
Hay added that Greenwood is in “the sort of form which puts a player in the reckoning for a match like Sunday’s FA Cup tie at Crawley Town.”
Is it go for Greenwood on Sunday?
A recent report has said that Marcelo Bielsa has “personally” blocked a January loan move for Greenwood, who is closing on a first-team place.
After what Hay has said, we think Greenwood is definitely set for his first-team debut on Sunday.
It’s important to manage young players properly in the modern game.
You only have to look at Jack Clarke, who made a dream move to Tottenham after impressing at Leeds, only to disappear without a trace.
However, it’s also important to give players a chance when they deserve it and an FA Cup game against League Two opposition seems like the perfect opportunity.
If Leeds are serious about progressing, they’ll need some first-team players involved.
But three or four experienced players, with seven or eight Under-23s would seem like the perfect mix to us.
Seeing Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt together would be an exciting prospect, and we can’t see either Patrick Bamford or Rodrigo being risked by Bielsa.
In other Leeds United news, Athletic: Leeds eye ‘tall and fast’ ball-playing Man City CB who made bench v Chelsea