Versatile Leeds United prospect will be hoping last night will not count against him.
Leeds United have high hopes for promising talent Oriol Rey, but he flopped on his big chance last night in a friendly game.
Rey signed for Leeds a year ago from Barcelona’s youth set up and proved a classy addition for the club’s under-23 side.
Able to play in both midfield and defence, Rey is viewed as an ideal candidate to make the step up and flourish under forward thinking and adaptable manager Marcelo Bielsa.
Last night against Oxford in a friendly match, Rey got off to the worst possible start, gifting their opponents an opening goal.
Rey carelessly lost possession and then was beaten by Rob Hall who crossed in for James Henry to score.
The Spaniard’s night did not get better as Oxford went three up by half-time.
Rey was just one of 11 starters who performed poorly, and so should not be seen as a scapegoat in any way, but it was really disappointing for him after showing so much promise last season for the under-23s.
To fail to step up in pre-season suggests he may not be ready for the Championship either and his confidence will have taken a hit. It was a worst case scenario for the youngster.
It will be up to manager Marcelo Bielsa and his coaching staff to lift the 20-year-old.
It is not fair that one error can undo a season of hard work, but football can be ruthless, and Marcelo Bielsa may be questioning whether he should attempt to fast-track Rey or keep him in the under-23s for another year.
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