Aapo Halme hasn’t kicked a ball for Leeds United since January.
Marcelo Bielsa confirmed in his post-match press conference on Friday that Liam Cooper is unlikely to be fit for Leeds United’s visit to Brentford on Monday [Leeds Live].
The captain missed yesterday’s 2-1 defeat by 10-man Wigan Athletic as Bielsa’s side dropped out of the automatic promotion places with three Championship games to go.
All things considered, it was an abysmal result for the Whites, who faced 10 men for 75 minutes. A lack of height troubled United yesterday and especially when Leon Clarke towered above Adam Forshaw to set up Gavin Massey’s second-half winner.
Bielsa needs height and could the Argentine boss bring back Aapo Halme?
The Finnish centre-back, who stands at 6’5, hasn’t kicked a ball for the Elland Road club since January but he has looked the part when he has played this season, and maybe Bielsa should bring him in on Monday.
Even without his height, the 20-year-old has looked an excellent defender and you wonder whether Halme and Pontus Jansson would be effective in combating 23-goal Neal Maupay.
Bielsa, criticised for his subs on Friday, can’t afford to get anything wrong at the Bees, but if Leeds are undone by height or a Gaetano Berardi error then he’ll have more explaining to do.
In terms of physical stature and style, Halme is more like Cooper than any of the 63-year-old’s other options, and continuing to overlook him may be a mistake.
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