Arsenal youngster Eddie Nketiah has so far played second fiddle to Patrick Bamford in the Leeds United lineup. His only starts came in the two Carabao Cup games in which he scored on both occasions. Even in the Championship coming off the bench, Nketiah has two goals and an assist to his name.
Nketiah on his lack of game time
On the other hand, Bamford has now gone six games without scoring, and the pressure is mounting on the more senior striker. Nketiah meanwhile indicated that he had been frustrated because of the lack of starts.
The 20-year-old said (Sky Sports), ”Obviously, I will never be happy with being on the bench. I want to play. I pride myself on being in the team. I think I am good enough to be in the team. All I can do is put in the performances that I do. When I come on [to] try and contribute, and I think with the chances I have had, I have done really well. In the two games I have [started], I have scored. I always try and help the team when I come on.”
Nketiah did his chances no harm with his recent performances for the England youth team as he grabbed a hattrick during the international break. The striker does seem unhappy at the moment, but it doesn’t seem like he has run out of patience.
Why will Nketiah get his chances?
However, it remains to be seen how long Nketiah will keep his patience given Bamford’s goal-scoring drought. There were reports recently that Arsenal could recall their striker in January, but another story from the Mirror rebuffed those claims. And it is said that the Whites are currently not worried about losing Nketiah in the winter transfer period.
With the busy part of the season approaching, hopefully, we can see Nketiah in action. This is not the first time when Bielsa has stuck to his guns as he usually gives a long rope to his players. To be fair to Bamford, he does a lot of things right in the build-up play as he stretches the game with his smart movements and gets into good positions. However, a striker will only be known for the goals he scores, and that is where the English striker seems to lack the killer instinct.
The way things are, Nketiah isn’t too far off from getting first-team chances. Until then, the youngster will need to keep his head down and work hard and try to impact the game from the bench.
