Mark Smith

Sun 22 December 2019 6:34, UK

Of all the things Leeds United fans would have expected to see in the build-up to yesterday’s 2-1 defeat to Fulham, one of those most likely wasn’t Angus Kinnear.

The Leeds Chief Executive was spotted sharing a drink with the travelling fans inside a pub in London, where he stopped to talk with the majority of them.

That just shows the good atmosphere surrounding the club right now, there was probably no chance you would have been able to do that in the days of Ken Bates at the club.

So, in typical Leeds style, the questions would have started to flow towards the man-in-the-know.

One that caught the eye of many fans was a question asking whether or not Whites loanee Eddie Nketiah would remain at Elland Road past January.

Ben Kingsnorth shared a picture of Kinnear on his personal Twitter account on Saturday, and in the caption revealed that he was told that the Arsenal youngster would be recalled back to the Emirates Stadium.

“Angus having a few beers with Leeds fans,” he wrote. “Eddie is off,” he added.

So it turns out it could be an unhappy end to Nketiah’s loan spell in West Yorkshire, despite recent claims that he could actually remain with Leeds until the end of the season.

Reliable Sun journalist Alan Nixon suggested that the 20-year-old could be set to stay at Elland Road unless anything changes drastically in the next few weeks.

With Pablo Hernandez leaving the pitch injured and Helder Costa being booked against Fulham, Nketiah was given 45 minutes by Marcelo Bielsa in the defeat.

It was the first time we have seen him partner Nketiah with Patrick Bamford, and it may not be the last given our lack of options in the final third right now – something which could persuade Arsenal to leave the forward where he is.

In other Leeds United news, Transfer expert shares what Leeds might be forced to do if Clarke is recalled