Leeds United have endured a tough last month as they dropped out of the race for the direct promotion spot and had to suffer an embarrassing defeat against already relegated Ipswich Town on the final day of the season. The Whites have lost their form at probably the worst time of the season, and the tie against Derby County looks that more open now.
One decision which Marcelo Bielsa took in the summer was bringing in Chelsea’s playmaker Izzy Brown at Elland Road. The Englishman was still struggling with an ACL injury, and he was only going to be available during the second half of the season.
The departure of Samuel Saiz in January was a big blow for the club, but someone like Brown was expected to come good by then. Maybe that is the reason why the club never looked at signing an attacking midfielder in the winter transfer period. However, even after going through rehabilitation, the 22-year-old has struggled to get into matchday squads. A lot was expected out of him as he had played a crucial role two years ago when he was on loan with Huddersfield Town, and they went on to move to the Premier League.
Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan commented on the situation and said (Noel Whelan), ”He’s surely played his last game for Leeds. It tells you everything that Marcelo Bielsa has left him out despite injuries to Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts. It must be due to what the manager is seeing on the training ground – clearly, Brown hasn’t done enough to show Bielsa why he should be in the side.”
The fact that he didn’t even make the bench against Ipswich Town suggests that the gamble from the summer has failed big time. Ryan Edmondson, Robbie Gotts and Mateusz Bogusz were on the bench, but Brown seems nowhere near the first team.
Signing an injured player is always a gamble. Even after recovering from a long term injury, players take some time to get to the level of fitness required to play Championship football. Brown suffered a hamstring injury after recovering from his long term injury, and that didn’t help his cause.
One cannot really blame the player as well as he was out of action for over a year. Brown was set to be a crucial player for the club in the attacking third in the second half of the season and the way things panned out; the club desperately needed someone who could have made an impact. However, it seems that Brown never managed to get himself up to the pace and Leeds United learnt a big lesson for the next season.
