Wilfried Gnonto: What Italian media made of Leeds star's display v England

Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto has been one of the standout players at Elland Road this season.

The Whites landed him for just under £4million on deadline day from Swiss outfit FC Zurich.

At the time, few could have predicted how quickly and emphatically Gnonto would’ve made his mark at Leeds.

However, Italy manager Roberto Mancini had long been aware of the 19-year-old’s talent and potential.

On Thursday, the Leeds ace won his ninth cap for Italy as the reigning European champions faced England.

The Azzurri could really do with a rebuild after failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

And Gnonto could well play a big part as the four-time world champions look to bounce back.

The Elland Road star had to make do with a place on the bench at the start of the match in Naples.

Mancini then brought Gnonto on in the 69th minute, with Italy trailing 2-1 to the Euro 2020 finalists.

‘Lively and enterprising’

The Italian media liked what they saw from the Leeds gem.

Goal Italia gave Gnonto a 6.5 out of 10, the joint-highest rating for the Italian players.

“Surges and crosses that will certainly make Mancini have some regrets about his starting choices,” they wrote.

Sky Italia also went with 6.5 out of 10 for the Whites talent.

“Lively and enterprising, he tried some sprints and delivered some interesting balls in from the left,” they wrote.

And Eurosport.it went with 6 out of 10 for Gnonto, writing: “Decent impact on the game.

“Italy tried to unleash him on the left to make the most of his ideas and physicality.

“He made himself seen, but without creating anything particularly dangerous.”

All in all, a good display from Gnonto, who emerged from the 2-1 defeat with a fair bit of credit.

It’ll be exciting to see how the attacking ace continues to fare and develop for club and countery.