Joe Donnohue waxes lyrical of Leeds sensation Lewis Bate
Leeds United youngster Lewis Bate impressed Joe Donnohue as the Under-21s beat Oldham Athletic on Tuesday night by a 3-2 scoreline.
The youngsters went into the game occupying bottom spot in their EFL Trophy group and were desperately looking for a win.
They managed to secure the three points, holding on to a slender one-goal advantage, but the LeedsLive reporter was impressed by the performance of the new signing.
Via his personal Twitter account, he wrote: “Lewis Bate doing Lewis Bate things against League Two Oldham last night.
“Scanning (repeatedly), pressing, cutting off supply lines and creating chances. He’s beginning to assert himself as a reliable operator at the base of the midfield.”
Good signing
While the senior team did not make too many eye-catching signings this summer, the club made it a point to bolster their youth ranks.
Signing a player of Bate’s potential from Chelsea proved just how good Leeds’ lower-level recruitment is, and performances like these prove just why he was roped in.
Marcelo Bielsa sees the academy as an extension of the first team anyway, so if Bate continues to perform at this level, he could be handed his debut in the coming months.
Given Leeds’ lack of numbers in that position and failure to rope in players for the second consecutive summer, the only thing the Argentine could do is look to the youngsters.
While a number of players have been deployed out of position that cannot be the long-term fix.
Something needs to change and it could by integrating players like Bate into the senior team.
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