Matthew Pennington could now have the perfect opportunity to prove himself at Leeds United.
It has been a difficult first-half of the campaign for the 23-year-old. Pontus Jansson’s suspension heading into the season handed the centre-back a great chance to hit the ground running, and it appeared that he was ready to take that chance on the opening day as he performed well alongside Liam Cooper for the first hour of the 3-2 win away at Bolton.
However, an ankle injury sustained in the second-half left him sidelined for a number of weeks and he has since had to bide his time when it has come to getting chances, with Cooper and Jansson tending to be Christiansen’s first choice pairing at the heart of the defence.
But perhaps Pennington now has an ideal opportunity to get a run of games under his belt and prove exactly why the Whites are keen to bring him in on a permanent basis.
Cooper is now suspended for the next four games after picking up his second red card of the campaign when Millwall came to Elland Road at the weekend, and it seems safe to suggest that Pennington will be the man that Christiansen will be looking to step into the breach for the games with Hull, Cardiff, Sheffield United and Bristol City.
Given that three of those sides currently find themselves in the Championship’s top six, Pennington’s ability is certainly going to come under the microscope – and if he helps Leeds keep a strong defensive record, then it would be no surprise if the Whites’ mind was made up regarding making a permanent bid in the summer.
And if he does step up, perhaps it may not be out of the question to suggest that Cooper’s path back into the side may not be as clear as the Leeds skipper may have been hoping.
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