Ronaldo Vieira completed his long-awaited return from a muscle injury to play for the first time this season on Tuesday. Leeds have been linked with luring him back to Elland Road, and Kalvin Phillips has sent him a message.
Vieira, 23, picked up the issue towards the end of 2020 and has been sat on the sidelines since – playing the odd game but not overcoming the issue. This season, he had failed to play a single match for Sampdoria.
But on Tuesday, the England Under-21 star came off the bench to play almost 30 minutes in his side’s 4-1 Coppa Italia defeat to Juventus. Leeds have been linked with luring Vieira back to Elland Road this month.
Given that he has played just 45 times for Sampdoria since joining in the summer of 2018 – and only five games on loan at Verona – he could look for a fresh start. But of course, that lack of game time is down to injury.
Reports from Italy claimed that Vieira was pushing to return to Elland Road this month, and that Leeds were keen. This week, Vieira posted on Instagram – underlining his delight to have returned to first-team action.
Phillips message to Vieira: Do Leeds need Sampdoria star?
Perhaps a couple of months ago, you would have thought Leeds needed another midfielder. They still do, but that desire to bring one in is hardly crucial. Lew Bate made his Premier League debut on Sunday.
The ex-Chelsea man was superb alongside Robin Koch – another man who has shown he can cover in midfield when needs be. Mateusz Klich, Adam Forshaw, Stuart Dallas, Kalvin Phillips – Leeds have options.
The Whites remain in talks to bring in Brenden Aaronson from RedBull Salzburg, too. So, there are numerous options and little space for the potential return of Vieira – but Phillips was delighted to see him back.
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