Ronaldo Vieira was sent off during Leeds’ 4-1 defeat to Wolves on Wednesday night.
Teenage ace Ronaldo Vieira was sent off during Leeds United’s humiliating 4-1 defeat to Championship leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night – but one man’s loss could be another’s gain.
The 19-year-old received his second yellow card for a robust tackle in the middle of the park on 61 minutes, as Leeds began to mark their stamp on the game at 2-1. However, Wolves used their numerical advantage to score two more.
The powerhouse midfielder will now miss Saturday’s Yorkshire derby against Barnsley at Oakwell, leaving Thomas Christiansen with a decision to make on who he plays in central midfield against Paul Heckingbottom’s men.
Ireland international Eunan O’Kane would be the obvious choice to partner Kalvin Phillips, but his performances of late have been nothing more than mediocre and Christiansen must avoid handing him a return to the starting line-up.
Instead, the Spanish boss should finally unleash 10-time Poland international Mateusz Klich on the Championship, as his creative prowess could be just the key Leeds need to unlock a defensively-minded Barnsley.
A deep-lying playmaker, Klich signed for Leeds from Dutch Eredivisie outfit FC Twente in the summer, but has failed to have any kind of impact at Elland Road – since being ostracised by Christiansen.
The Yorkshire Evening Post claimed in the summer that Klich cost a steep £1.5million, but has yet to prove that purely because he has not been given the chance to do so.
The 27-year-old has made just four Championship appearances, starting only once, clocking up a total of just 114 minutes of league action. But when playing, he has impressed – especially in Leeds’ 5-0 win over Burton.
The former Wolfsburg midfielder is just what the Whites need to re-energise their midfield after the midweek loss to Wolves. Although most look for brute force against their local rivals, class and temperament could be the key to unlocking Barnsley and Klich possesses both in abundance.
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