Ben White’s debut hints Leeds pulled off masterstroke with loan deal

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Ben White was outstanding as Leeds United kicked off their new Championship campaign with an impressive victory.

Having won 3-1 on the opening day of last season, Leeds fans will be doing everything they can to avoid getting carried away after producing a similarly-impressive performance to open this current campaign with a victory by the same margin at the weekend.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were outstanding for large parts of their clash with Bristol City on Sunday, and got their rewards with goals coming from Pablo Hernandez, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison.

Hernandez looks set to be the maestro again this year, Bamford has silenced many of his critics with an early goal and Harrison has taken his hugely impressive pre-season form into the new campaign. Nevertheless, it was another player who seemed to make an even bigger impression on the Elland Road faithful with their opening day performance.

Ben White appeared to be a risky signing for Leeds when he joined on loan from Brighton at the start of last month. His potential has been obvious, but there were some concerns about the youngster given that he had not played at a level higher than League One before this season – especially after Pontus Jansson was allowed to leave for Brentford.

But based on his debut, it appears that Leeds may have pulled off a masterstroke in getting White signed up. He looked composed on the ball, picked out some stunning long-range passes, and read the game superbly when Lee Johnson’s men started to ask questions.

Liam Cooper appeared to benefit from playing alongside White, and it seems that the pair have every chance of forming a formidable partnership, especially with Kalvin Phillips providing support and Kiko Casilla more than willing to get involved when a ball is launched over the top.

Of course, a loan move is not ideal for Leeds in the long-term. But White looks to have the tools to make a real impact during his year with the Whites, and the players around him look to have full confidence in his ability.

White needs to prove that he can sustain this form over the majority of the season. But given the way that he has stepped up to every challenge he has faced in his career so far, there seems to be every reason to think that he will be as popular on the final day of the campaign as he is after making his competitive debut.