Arsenal loanee Eddie Nketiah came off the bench to help Leeds United record a point at home to Preston North End on Boxing Day.
Marcelo Bielsa has raved about Arsenal loanee Eddie Nketiah for how he ‘unbalanced’ Preston North End during their 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Boxing Day.
The Leeds boss also stated that he is unsure whether Arsenal will recall the player, who came off the bench once again yesterday.
Whilst the highly-rated Arsenal man didn’t get on the scoresheet for Leeds, he did make a difference in the attacking third and was unlucky not to find the back of the net when Declan Rudd pulled off a brilliant save from close-range following his header.
After the game, Bielsa stated that Nketiah looked ‘light, fresh, fast and comfortable’ when he came onto the pitch for Leeds, as he shared his thoughts on whether he’ll leave next month.
“I saw Nketiah tonight at a good level, Bielsa told Leeds Live. “Light and fresh to run in a tough match. He unbalanced a lot of situations. He was fast. He was comfortable in small-sized spaces and able to unbalance the match.
On whether he’s worried Nketiah will leave next month: “We don’t know their [Arsenal’s] decision yet.”
Nketiah could perhaps consider himself unlucky that he hasn’t earned enough starts for Leeds, with Patrick Bamford currently keeping him out of the starting XI.
There have been calls for Bielsa to use him alongside Bamford, but the Argentian coach has decided against that tactic, as Nketiah has instead done his talking from the bench.
With the games now coming thick and fast because of this festive period, it will be interesting to see if Bielsa starts Nketiah away at Birmingham on Sunday.
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