Leeds United defender Lewie Coyle is impressing during his time away from Elland Road.
Joey Barton has insisted that Leeds should be very proud of Lewie Coyle as he praised the Whites loanee’s attitude following his latest appearance in Fleetwood’s midfield, in comments reported by the Fleetwood Weekly News.
Coyle has been a stalwart for the League One since he first arrived at the club at the beginning of last season. He came through the ranks at Elland Road as a full-back, but Barton has deployed the 23-year-old in a different role recently.
He has more recently featured in midfield for the play-off contenders. And following his latest performance in the role, Barton lauded Coyle’s adaptability and work ethic in light of how he has taken to the different demands.
“He is a great team man. He would play anywhere for you. I think if I put him in goal he would give everything,” he said, as reported by the Fleetwood Weekly News.
“He is someone Leeds should be incredibly proud of.”
It is certainly a huge plus for Coyle to be making himself as versatile as possible ahead of his expected return to his parent club at the end of the season.
There is a lot of competition at right-back in the current Leeds squad, and players such as Bryce Hosannah and Robbie Gotts are starting to come through to add to the options available to Marcelo Bielsa.
Some may feel that Coyle’s future lies elsewhere if he wants to be playing regular football. But as an option to keep within the squad, Coyle surely has to come into Bielsa’s thinking once he returns.
As Barton suggests, the youngster is willing to do any task asked of him. And that is exactly the kind of player that most managers would love to have in their squad. He may not be the first name on Leeds’s teamsheet, but he clearly has the potential to be an incredibly popular member of the senior squad in the future.
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