Tom Pearce was brought on and taken off again during Leeds United’s FA Cup third round tie on Sunday.
A number of Leeds fans have taken to Twitter to comment on Tom Pearce being substituted during the Whites’ FA Cup tie on Sunday – with some questioning whether the left-back has a future at Elland Road, while others have criticised Marcelo Bielsa.
Pearce was brought on at half-time during the 2-1 defeat to QPR. But he did not see the game out as he was taken off again with around 11 minutes remaining as the Whites searched for an equaliser.
Bielsa’s comments after the game – which have been reported by Leeds Live – do not suggest that the youngster had any kind of injury, so it would appear that the head coach decided that Pearce needed to be sacrificed as part of a reshuffle that he hoped would lead to Leeds’ second goal.
It has not been an easy season for the 20-year-old who was making his first appearance following a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury.
And despite Bielsa being worshipped by the large majority of the Elland Road faithful, there has been some criticism over his management of Pearce, with Sunday not being the first time that the Leeds boss has taken the left-back off after previously bringing him off the bench.
Against Nottingham Forest, he played 40 minutes after coming on in the 25th minute. Like Sunday, his withdrawal came as Leeds looked to get back on level terms.
While the match situation in both games makes it easy to see why Bielsa has been ruthless with his changes, some believe that the fact that it has now happened twice highlights that the Leeds boss is not a huge fan of the defender.
And a couple of supporters have even suggested that they could see Pearce soon heading for the exit…
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