Leeds United are a different team when the midfield plays and their manager has now seen that firsthand.
Time and again this season Leeds United fans have been crying out for Ronaldo Vieira, and time and again they have been ignored.
Finally they got what they wanted when the 19-year-old started for Leeds against Fulham, and Vieira’s performance proved categorically what the fans have known all season: The Whites need the midfielder in their starting line-up if they want to mount a realistic and sustained promotion push this season.
Christiansen made a mistake overlooking Vieira for the matches against Millwall, Cardiff City, Sheffield Wednesday and Reading, and while it is impossible to know if Leeds would have won all or any as a result of the midfielder’s presence, his selection would have given them a better chance of victory.
Whatever the reason for the Leeds boss’s bizarre selection policy in the early months of the campaign, he has now seen with his own eyes what Vieira does and he simply cannot overlook him again.
To do so would be self-sabotaging and Leeds cannot afford to let more points slip as they bid to earn promotion back to the top flight after far too long away.
It is easy to make a mistake when you do not know better. But the Leeds boss knows better now and Leeds should benefit as a consequence.
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