Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah has told talkSPORT that Marcelo Bielsa made him stronger during his time on loan at Leeds.
The England Under-21 international said: ‘Bielsa is a very demanding manager. I definitely learned a lot, I put myself out of my comfort zone which was a good thing for me, it’s made me a lot stronger mentally and has improved me as a player.’
The Argentine only handed Nketiah two Championship starts last season before Arsenal cut his season-loan loan at Elland Road short.
Impressively, in that time – as well as 15 appearances from the bench – the 21-year-old still managed to score a respectable three goals.
Despite a lack of starts in Yorkshire, it’s clear that the Arsenal No.30 learned a lot from the former Marseille boss at Elland Road.
It is also worth commending the £45,000-a-week youngster for his attitude.
Nketiah easily could’ve shown frustration and a bit of resentment towards Leeds and Bielsa for not giving him too many starting berths.
However, he has shown nothing but maturity in his comments to talkSPORT, instead placing emphasis on what he learned from Bielsa on the training ground.
His time at Leeds seems to have benefitted his Arsenal career.
Mikel Arteta has handed Nketiah three Premier League starts as well as six in the Europa League this season.
Across both competitions, the forward has scored four goals, which isn’t bad at all.
It is the same amount as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has managed across both competitions.
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