Expectations are high on Leeds talent, who has also been struggling with injuries.
There is a growing clamour among Leeds United fans and pundit for talented teenager Ronaldo Vieira to play a starting role for the club.
Aside from in cup games – in which Leeds remain unbeaten – Vieira has been overlooked this season by manager Thomas Christiansen.
But midfield pair Eunan O’Kane and Kalvin Phillips are not currently getting the job done, with the team sliding in form with four losses in the last five.
Summer signing Mateusz Klich has failed to step up with any authority, and Vieira is now being seen as a saviour, the answer to the side’s current ailments.
The calls are correct, Leeds do need Vieira, but there must also be a fair degree of expectations on the teenager.
Having been unfairly overlooked over the past month of the season, the midfielder is now battling a knee injury.
This caused him to withdraw from the England under-20 squad earlier this month, and also meant he was not even named among the substitutes at the weekend as Leeds lost to Reading.
So when he does return to the fold, Christiansen must not bow to pressure and throw Vieira in before he is ready, while fans must make their expectations realistic.
Vieira is an important player for Leeds who Christiansen was wrong to overlook early on, but having got to this point, he must not be put in an impossible situation.
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