Leeds United boss was thrilled with Matthew Pennington’s performance.
Everton defender Matthew Pennington made his pre-season debut for Leeds United yesterday in a fixture against Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach.
It has been a busy week for the centre-back, who signed for Leeds on Tuesday before flying out to Austria and took part in a first training session on Wednesday.
Thursday saw him feature in a 1-1 draw against Gladbach, and new boss Thomas Christiansen was amazed with how well he has settled in.
Everton’s Matthew Pennington is on loan at Leeds
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Christiansen raved: “Pennington when he came in did very well.
“He hadn’t played with any of his team-mates before today or worked with them before yesterday and he jumped in like he’d been a player here for some time.”
That is exactly what the Whites needed given their scarce options at centre-back.
Star man Pontus Jansson is suspended for the season opener, meaning that before Christiansen signed, their only available pairing was last season’s third choice defender Liam Cooper, and to use right-back Luke Ayling in the centre.
Thomas Christiansen
Now Christiansen has an extra option, and the early signs are positive.
Pennington will be more closely scrutinised over the coming fortnight as his manager seeks to determine whether he should start against Bolton Wanderers on the opening weekend of the Championship season.
He has made a strong start and settled in quickly, and right now that is as good as Leeds could have hoped for.
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