Joe Gelhardt surely fumes amid Michael Skubala Leeds United appointment
Leeds United have confirmed Michael Skubala will take charge of the first team for the foreseeable future – and one player will be absolutely fuming.
Joe Gelhardt was shipped out to Sunderland for the remainder of the 2022/23 season at the back end of the January transfer window after finding minutes hard to come by under Jesse Marsch.
However, the 20-year-old will be disappointed to hear of Skubala being given the role for a little bit longer. He made 15 appearances for Leeds in the first half of the season with the majority of them coming from the substitutes bench. He has already made three starts for Sunderland since moving to the North East.
But, if Gelhardt was still at Elland Road, there would’ve been a good chance of the youngster seeing more minutes under the stewardship of Skubala. He was a regular feature in the under-21s set-up and could well have been trusted to perform in the Premier League by the new boss.
The move to Sunderland is by no means a bad thing for the young attacker, but the timing of the appointment will infuriate him. The second half of the season could have provided a platform for Gelhardt to show his worth under a new manager. We all know he has the ability to be a Premier League player, he just needed game time.
With a new manager likely to be in place come the summer, the 20-year-old must ensure he continues to perform for the Black Cats and get more minutes under his belt. Hopefully, when he does return, he is given the chance to fulfil his potential at Elland Road.
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