By Craig Scott

7th Jan, 2020 | 10:00am

Phil Hay: Bielsa called Leeds player into office and said he'd understand if he wanted to quit

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa once called Robbie Gotts into his office and said he’d understand if the youngster wanted to quit Elland Road, according to The Athletic journalist Phil Hay.

Gotts, 20, made his debut for Leeds on Monday night when he was named in the starting line-up for the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup third-round.

The Harrogate-born midfielder, who can also play at right-back, did a decent enough job in the Leeds midfield as the Championship leaders made Premier League opposition work hard to seal a victory.

However, before making his debut, Gotts had to sit on the bench as an unused substitute for a staggering 35 times.

Former Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Hay reports that Bielsa felt guilty about not handing Gotts any game-time so had a meeting with him in his office to apologise.

It is understood that Bielsa also told the youngster that he would understand if he wanted to move on from the Yorkshire club.

Bielsa is not known for being much of a man manager, so his approach to dealing with Gotts is actually quite surprising.

The Argentine is known for keeping his distance from the players but he must have felt really guilty about the 20-year-old’s lack of game-time for him to say about him possibly leaving the club.

Gotts is unlikely to want to leave, especially when he is featuring so often in the senior squad on matchdays and playing for a top manager in Bielsa.

Hopefully, after he finally made his debut, we can get to see more of the youngster in the coming weeks.

In other Leeds United news, Jermaine Beckford was shocked by one thing that Leeds did against Arsenal.