Should the Leeds United man be benched on Sunday afternoon?
Leeds United host Newcastle United at a sold-out Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.
It is comfortably Leeds’ biggest game of the Championship season as Garry Monk’s side look to remain in the playoff spots, after breaking into the top six a fortnight ago.
The Whites have won their last four games in all competitions but, as the saying goes, one weak link can break the chain, and Kemar Roofe is the player who needs to drop out this weekend.
The 23-year-old forward has started Leeds’ last six matches in all competitions but the £3 million summer signing from Oxford United is yet to score in 19 games this season – 10 of those have been from the start.
Roofe, who has been deployed on the wing under Monk, scored 26 times for Oxford last term and his eye-opening first few months in the Championship can’t be great for his confidence.
Monk withdrew him after 54 minutes in United’s 3-2 win at Norwich City last time around, when Leeds were losing 1-0. The previous week against Burton, he was taken off after 72 minutes, at 0-0, and the Whites went on to win 2-0.
His replacement that day, Souleymane Doukara, played a huge role in the victory, winning a penalty on 83 minutes before then scoring himself in the closing stages and the former Swansea City manager should consider using him and Hadi Sacko on the wings against Newcastle.
Striker Chris Wood is going to be massively important against the top-of-the-table Magpies and, as it stands, Doukara and Sacko are much more likely to supply the big hitman on Sunday.
Roofe may be Leeds’ best player at some point in the future, but at the moment he is more of a hindrance than a help. Monk needs hunger and Roofe doesn’t look up to it for now.
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