Amongst all their injury crisis Leeds United have some good news coming their way as Chelsea loanee Izzy Brown played his first game of football in almost ten months as he played 45 minutes of the match against Birmingham City’s u-23 side.
The attacking midfielder is yet to feature for the Whites this season, but it seems like he can get his first appearance for Leeds before the turn of the new year. His recovery has gone ahead of schedule as it was believed that Brown would not see any action until January.
However, Leeds needs to make sure they ease him back into playing high-intensity football before bringing him into the first team. The 21-year-old has the potential to be a game changer for United as they have struggled in the past month or so on the attacking front. Brown had a decent amount of experience in the Championship and played a crucial role in Huddersfield’s promotion in the 2016-17 campaign
Brown would be expected to compete for a place with the likes of Samuel Saiz and Adam Forshaw. Saiz was a regular starter in the attacking midfielder’s role, but after a series of poor displays, Bielsa decided to replace him with Forshaw in the last few games. However, with Brown coming in, we believe he can be the game changer, and if fit, the Englishman could start above both of them.
Bielsa has already played down the notion of any January signings, and he is trusting his injured players to come back strong. However, it remains to be seen how long it would take before the Chelsea midfielder can be back to his best. Brown also has a bit of experience of the Premier League as he was with Brighton on loan for six months and managed 13 appearances for them. He didn’t get on the scoresheet in the English top flight but didn’t look out of place.
Bielsa needs someone who can bring in more goals from the midfield region, and the club is counting on the Chelsea youngster to deliver. The 21-year-old can play as a secondary striker or in the no. 10 role and he boasts serious pace and can wriggle out of tight space due to his nimble feet.
It would be interesting to see how the player would adapt in the Bielsa system. One thing he might have to improve on is his overall strength and ball shielding techniques as sometimes he is too easily pushed out of possession. Playing 45 minutes for the u-23 was the first step and it remains to be seen when the English playmaker would be drafted into the senior squad.
