The summer signing has barely featured for Leeds United thus far.
Leeds United signed so many new players over the summer that some were inevitably going to struggle for game time at Elland Road, and so it has proved for Pawel Cibicki.
The 23-year-old winger-cum-striker signed for Leeds from Malmo after scoring 12 goals and providing eight assists in 80 appearances. But so far he has barely featured for the Whites, managing only a 79-minute outing in the EFL Cup third round clash against Burnley earlier this month.
The upcoming fourth round match against Leicester City could give the former Swedish under-21 international another chance to prove his worth. However his failure to play a single minute in the Championship thus far suggests he has a long way to go. More so when you consider Jay-Roy Grot, who is four years Cibicki’s junior, is a regular from the bench.
If Leeds boss Thomas Christiansen continues to overlook Cibicki for Championship action, the player may need to prove his worth another way, and with sporadic cup appearances not enough to maintain his fitness and encourage his form some under-23 run-outs could be the alternative.
After all, the Leeds signing knows that he needs to score and create goals to stake a claim for senior starts, and the best he can hope for in the short term may be a platform with the second string.
It may not be what Cibicki thought he was signing up for, however it could be the only way he has any chance of forcing his way past the likes of Grot, Kemar Roofe, Ezgjan Alioski and the rest.
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