George Overhill

Wed 19 April 2023 7:10, UK

Willy Gnonto had a “thousand-yard stare” at Elland Road when Leeds United boss Javi Gracia overlooked him against Liverpool, according to Graham Smyth.

The Italian international was left out of the starting XI again for the 6-1 defeat on Monday night (17 April), the fifth time in seven matches under the Spaniard where he has been fit to feature that he has been named as a substitute.

The teenager had emerged as one of the stars of the Whites team under Jesse Marsch, drawing transfer interest from Italy [Gazzetta dello Sport, 25 March] and the Premier League [Gazzetta, 21 March], but with the game slipping away from the home side Gracia still turned to Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter first, prompting a bleak reaction from the former FC Zurich man.

In his Yorkshire Evening Post round up from Elland Road, Smyth’s noted in his off-camera moments: “Willy Gnonto’s thousand-yard stare as both Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter were called back to the dugout from their three-man warm-up routine down by the corner flag during the second half.

“The Italian international didn’t get the call from the bench for another 11 minutes.”

Rutter and Summerville came on in the 66th minute with the score already at 4-1. Gnonto was introduced as an afterthought alongside forgotten man Adam Forshaw in the 77th with the game long gone at 5-1.

Baffling

When the Gracia revival was in flow in recent weeks it was a surprising development for Gnonto to fall from prominence, but as long as it worked few could complain.

In some ways it was even a positive for his Leeds United teammates to be forced into finding other routes to goal, rather than relying so heavily on the Italian when opponents were doubling up on him.

Jack Harrison stepped up, and to an extent so has Luis Sinisterra, but even so it defies logic for the player who has arguably been the most consistent attacking star this season to be relegated to afterthought by Gracia.

Now that the wheels have well and truly fallen off, to the tune of 11 goals conceded and zero points in the past two home games, questions have to be asked about what the manager is doing with Gnonto.

He may have had an injury recently but his apparent reaction on Monday suggests he feels he’s ready, and probably matched that of many in the stands.

Brenden Aaronson has been a long way short of his best for weeks but starts regularly still, while Rutter may be a star of the future but he certainly hasn’t been so far in a Leeds United shirt.

If the Whites have designs on staying in the Premier League, or keeping hold of their surprise teenage star this summer, Gracia may need to change his outlook at get the attacker involved again before it’s too late.

In other Leeds United news, Tyler Adams is now a summer transfer target as well.