‘That’s why he’s the manager and I’m not’ – Leeds attacker delivers verdict on Bielsa selection
Ian Poveda is not surprised that he has only just made his Leeds United debut after he was handed an appearance off the bench at the weekend.
Poveda, 20, was thrown on by Marcelo Bielsa for the final 13 minutes of the match against Cardiff City on Sunday but could not help his side avoid a 2-0 defeat in South Wales.
The young attacker was signed by Leeds from Manchester City in January and it seemed as though he was in Bielsa’s first-team plans when he was named on the bench for two games.
However Poveda was soon dropped into the Under-23s – but that didn’t come as a shock to the up-and-coming winger.
“I’m not surprised at all,” he said, as quoted by LeedsLive. “I have complete faith in my manager. It’s his decision over the player’s and who he decides to put on.
“I’m just grateful for the opportunity. That’s all I can say. He thought the other day was the right time for me to play, that’s what he thought was best.
“That’s why he’s the manager and I’m not. I’m just going to listen to him and execute what he wants and do my best.”
We saw a glimpse of Poveda for the first time on Sunday and while he didn’t have much time to impress, the signs were decent and we hope to see more of the former Man City winger in the coming weeks.
Bielsa has five substitutions to make in each and every remaining Championship game so there is no reason why Poveda cannot be used to help keep regular starters like Helder Costa fit by replacing him around the 60 or 70-minute mark.
It was frustrating for some fans that Poveda wasn’t used by Bielsa between January and March, especially when Costa’s form has been criticised by sections of the Elland Road faithful.
Maybe, now that he has finally made his Championship debut, he will get the chance to replace Costa for some games but with Leeds set to sign the Portuguese winger permanently from Wolves, they might be more inclined to stick with the player who cost them more money.
In other Leeds United news, this Fulham forward has sent an Instagram message to a Leeds defender.