Ronaldo Vieira has said that his lack of game time this season has been down to a combination of form and a long-term injury problem with his knee that has “got a bit worse” this season.
The Leeds midfielder was talking after his first Championship start of the season in the 3-0 victory over Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
Vieira was the difference in the game, a fact that even Bristol City’s manager Lee Johnson acknowledged when he said the youngster “ran the show” after the game.
It was a triumphant return for the 19-year-old who impressed last season under Garry Monk but hasn’t been allowed to have the same impact under new manager Thomas Christiansen.
Talking after the game Vieira gave credit to manager Christiansen for his tactics after switching from his preferred 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3.
“I thought the tactics were good. What he told us to do we did,” Vieira said in an interview with BBC Radio Leeds.
Asked about his absence from the side Vieira said, “I was a bit frustrated… I want to play all the games but it depends who we’re playing and whether we need the physicality. It’s up to the gaffer.”
Vieira also elaborated on why he hasn’t featured for Leeds in the Championship before Saturday’s game, saying it was a mixture of his form and long-term injury problems.
“It’s been a mixture of the two. Last season I struggled with my knee but I played through it.
“This season it’s just got a bit worse and that’s maybe what’s slowed me down a bit.
“I’ve just put my head down and kept working.”
OPINION
Leeds fans will be delighted with the performance of Ronaldo Vieira in the game against Bristol City but that will be tempered with concern after his remarks in the BBC interview. Vieira struggled with his knee injury last season, but said that he could play through the pain. He admits that it has got worse this season and that it has contributed to him losing pace and being dropped from the side. The big question now is whether it will stand up to a sustained run in the side, in what is a hugely challenging and physical league. We imagine that he would keep his place in the side for the League Cup game against Leicester. If he doesn’t then it would hint that Christiansen is taking steps to wrap the youngster in cotton wool. And that could mean he’s not going to be a permanent fixture in the side this season.
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