According to The Athletic’s journalist and Leeds United expert Phil Hay, Arsenal are relaxed about Eddie Nketiah’s current situation at Elland Road, but they did not expect him to be waiting for his first league start so far into the season.
The England under-21 international has come off the bench on nine occasions in the Championship for the Whites, with his only two starts coming in the League Cup.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa continues to prefer Patrick Bamford ahead of Nketiah, and yesterday’s heroics isn’t likely to change his mind.
The 20-year-old played the last 13 minutes of last night’s clash against Preston North End, helping to draw his side level three minutes from time.
The Arsenal loanee now has three Championship goals to his name and five in total, but will have to improve his work-rate, presence, interplay and pressing to have a chance of becoming Leed’ first-choice striker.
The Gunners will only have the right to recall their academy graduate in January if he fails to hit a stipulated amount of game-time by then, but even Unai Emery reckons it’s too early to start thinking about that at the moment, and it will be interesting to see how things unfold.
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