Lewis Bate got his first taste of senior football for Leeds United over the weekend, but some people at the club reportedly believe he should have had his chance earlier.
Indeed, according to The Athletic, some at the club have questioned by Bate hadn’t been handed a chance until this weekend when he’s quite clearly settled in so well in the U23s.
Bate has been a star for Mark Jackson’s side this season. Fans have been raving over his performances for the U23s on almost a weekly basis, and many have called for him to start for the first-team.
However, until this weekend, Bate wasn’t allowed to showcase his talents in senior football, and some behind the scenes quite simply couldn’t understand why he hadn’t been given any opportunities.
Marcelo Bielsa, for all his positive qualities, isn’t always the best at handing out chances to youngsters.
In some instances, he’s brilliant at fast-tracking a player into the first-team, just look at Joe Gelhardt, Jack Clarke and Pascal Struijk as three examples, but in other instances, he’s been hesitant to pull the trigger.
In fact, Bielsa even had to apologise to Robbie Gotts for his lack of chances at Leeds at one point, and, it seems as though Bate has had to go through a similar process of biding his time.
Luckily though, Bate has now made his debut, and we can only hope that the midfielder can become a regular at Elland Road in the coming months.
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