MOT View: Under-23 ace fails in latest audition v Crewe to fill clear void in Leeds squad
Leeds United Under-23s travelled to Crewe on Monday looking to do what the senior side couldn’t do on Saturday against Sheffield Wednesday.
It finished 2-1 in the end, with Jamie Shackleton scoring for the Whites’ as he stepped up his recovery with another 45 minutes.
The spotlight may have been on Ryan Edmondson, with Leeds still not having found a replacement for Eddie Nketiah in January.
There was a clear void on the bench at Elland Road on Saturday, with Marcelo Bielsa having no out-and-out replacement striker to take some pressure off the shoulders of Patrick Bamford.
The 18-year-old struggled against Crewe and didn’t exactly shine for Leeds who were poor in the second half. Edmondson enjoyed one good passage of play in the game, breaking forward and laying the ball on a plate for Shackleton to get his goal.
Apart from that, it is hard to remember what else the forward did. The main part of playing under Bielsa is being able to hold up the ball, and also put defenders under pressure when they’re on the ball.
Leeds struggled in the second half despite winning, and one of the main reasons behind that was that the ball was coming back at them far too easily. Pascal Struijk got them out of jail in the end, poking home the winner from a late corner.
Phil Hay recently suggested that Edmondson didn’t progress over the summer like many had hoped at Leeds and that Bielsa may not be sold on the forward.
That makes a lot of sense. With no other forward available apart from Bamford, surely Edmondson would go straight onto the bench. That isn’t the case and it doesn’t look like changing any time soon.
It was clear to see that Edmondson isn’t in the same mould as someone like Bamford, and he could well have failed yet another audition to catch Bielsa’s eye in the win at Crewe.
In other Leeds United news, MOT View: Shackleton scores in 2-1 win – Leeds U23 player ratings v Crewe