A late strike from veteran Swansea City ace Wayne Routledge handed Leeds United their first league defeat of the new season. The Whites slipped down to third in the Championship standings before the international break but remain one of the prime promotion contenders this term after squandering the opportunity last time late into the campaign.
Leeds were wasteful in front of goal against the Swans, particularly Eddie Nketiah who came on as a second-half substitute and had a couple of glorious opportunities to find the net. The Arsenal loanee, however, has been prolific so far since making a move to West Yorkshire on the transfer deadline day. He has fired in thrice in 5 outings across all competitions.
Meanwhile, the 20-year-old centre-forward has revealed how Unai Emery advised him to stay at Arsenal over leaving on loan. The Spaniard had the youngster in his plans, but Nketiah, keen on gaining senior experience, opted to join the Elland Road outfit to work under Marcelo Bielsa.
“I felt like it was a good step for me to come to Leeds. I hope it’s a good year that can leave me in good stead going back to Arsenal to fight for a place. There were a lot of options, there were options for me to go to Germany, but me, my family and the club decided Leeds was the best place.”
The player told MailOnline after scoring a brace for England U21s against Turkey in a UEFA EURO U-21 fixture.
Why The Youngster Is Key In Leeds’ Promotion Aspiration
Nketiah was deployed sporadically by the Gunners over the past couple of campaigns. He grabbed his maiden Premier League goal on the last day of the 2018-19 season against Burnley and continued to impress during this pre-season with goals against Bayern Munich and Fiorentina.
Although he is viewed as the understudy to Patrick Bamford in Leeds’ frontline, the exit of Kemar Roofe suggests that the youngster would be utilised extensively throughout the season. He might not have been handed a league start yet, but the form he is in should see him pushing for it and eventually getting it after the break.
How Bielsa Should deploy him
Bielsa’s men lost the plot last season despite a blistering start and the injuries, lack of rotation and the shallowness of the squad have been cited as the reasons behind their setback. The gaffer thus must learn from it and rotate his options frequently to meet the grind and demand of the English calendar.
Nketiah is a conventional centre-forward who is pacy, holds astounding finishing traits and stays in the right place at the right time to find his target. He has exhibited his qualities already, and therefore, should stake a claim in the starting XI more often.