Alex Beard

Thu 6 February 2020 19:31, UK

Leeds United new boy Jean-Kevin Augustin has been at the club for two match days now, but hasn’t made the squad for either of them.

That’s a little bit strange, but not particularly out of the ordinary where Marcelo Bielsa is concerned.

However, the Frenchman was involved for the club for the first time on Monday night, playing 45 minutes for the Under-23s in their 2-2 draw with their Sheffield Wednesday counterparts.

The 22-year-old was adjudged to only be allowed one half of football for the second string, despite failing to make the squad for the defeat to Wigan Athletic a couple of days previously.

That’s a bizarre decision that left former Whites defender Danny Mills completely baffled.

“It’s strange, isn’t it, that Bielsa’s said he’s not up to speed, he’s not quite match fit but we’re only going to play him for 45 minutes,” he told Football Insider.

“He wasn’t able to be put on the bench, he wasn’t considered fit enough or ready enough to be on the bench and then he’s only given 45 minutes in an under-23 game – I don’t understand sometimes.

“Bielsa – huge respect, he’s been unbelievable and some of the performances that they’ve put in have been outstanding but you’ve got to put the ball in the back of the net. There has to be a plan B.”

You can see what Mills is saying here and, actually, he’s spot on. It’s baffling that a player who’s thought to be short of match fitness was only given one half of football on Monday.

That may be the usual protocol when a senior player is representing the Under-23s, but Bielsa and co. should have made an exception here.

The fact that Augustin is an attacker and that the team’s one big issue right now is scoring goals makes getting him up to speed of paramount importance. With that said, surely it wouldn’t have hurt to let him get 90 minutes under his belt against Wednesday’s kids?

He’s only had 102 minutes of game time since the turn of the year, so he clearly needs to develop match sharpness somehow. A full 90 with the Under-23s would’ve been ideal in that respect, and would have served as the ideal launching pad for some sort of involvement against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Mills’ confusion is entirely justified, it’s likely something that’s shared by the majority of the club’s supporters.

In other Leeds United news, Sky Sports pundit David Prutton has delivered his prediction for the Forest clash.