Leeds United loanee Eddie Nketiah has finally vented his frustration over lack of game time under Marcelo Bielsa.
Nketiah, who joined the Whites on loan from Arsenal in the summer transfer window, scored a hat-trick for England’s Under-21s in their 5-1 win over Austria during the international break.
The 20-year-old has been in good form, taking his tally to 10 goals in 13 appearances for club and country this season across all competitions.
However, he has been limited to just 162 minutes in the Championship this season. The Arsenal academy product is yet to start a league clash having made seven substitute appearances.
Bielsa prefers Patrick Bamford up front and the former Chelsea striker has done reasonably well to justify his selection.
Nketiah couldn’t hide his disappointment recently and said that he is done everything to warrant a start. He added that he joined Leeds to get regular games, but he feels disappointed to not have made a start in the Championship.
Some Leeds fans have taken to Twitter to express their reaction. Here are some of the selected tweets:
Bristol City will be waiting to pounce. Can’t blame him if he decides to cut short the loan. Playing second fiddle to a striker that isn’t scoring wasn’t part of his or Arsenal’s plan. #LUFC
— The Pudsey One (@nigelbarker1971) October 16, 2019
Don’t know what more he needs to do to start in all honesty. Feel sorry for the lad.
— MJ (@Jamzeh1) October 16, 2019
Pointless. Same as bringing Jack Clarke on loan and barely including him in the squad. Waste of money!
— Brentmeister (@newelly89) October 16, 2019
He cant do anymore can he. Goals of the bench for LUFC, hat trick for England.
— PJH LUFC (@pistol1603) October 16, 2019
Even if Bielsa was planning to start him on Saturday, he won’t do now. Blind faith in plan A won’t get us promoted, so let’s shake things up!
— Bielsa Bubb 💙💛 (@bellhouse_mike) October 16, 2019
Nothing wrong with that at all. Looks like a pretty clear message to the club – it’s nothing personal, but all loan players need to be starting games.
— WJ (@jessop_william) October 16, 2019
Should Bielsa rotate his strikers?
Bamford brings a lot more to the game through his hard work and experience. Nketiah is a natural finisher, but Bielsa probably doesn’t want to take the risk with him in Championship games.
The youngster has scored two Championship goals already, and Bielsa should rotate his strikers. That Nketiah has expressed his frustration only suggests that he is hungry to do well at Leeds, and Bielsa will love that approach.
The Argentine is an experienced world-class manager, and he should be looking to keep both his strikers happy. There are a lot of games left to play, and surely Nketiah will get plenty of chances in the coming months.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
