Eddie Gray believes that Leeds United’s January signing Tyler Roberts needs to make an instant impact in the first team following his arrival at Elland Road.
The Whites signed the 19-year-old striker from Premier League club West Brom and he will hope to bolster Thomas Christiansen’s attacking options.
It has been confirmed that he will not make his debut for the Yorkshire giants at the weekend during the league clash with Cardiff, but the centre-forward will be under pressure to perform when starts in the senior side.
Roberts is a highly-rated youngster that spent the first half of the season out on loan with League One club Walsall, where he scored five goals and supplied four assists in 19 games.
The Wales Under-21 international has now got the chance to prove himself in the Championship and aid Leeds’ push towards the play-off positions.
Whites legend Gray has sent a message to Roberts by insisting that he needs to hit the ground running at his new club despite his young age.
“I think the club have looked to the future with the boy, but he’s got to produce at the present now as well,” Gray told LUTV.
“If he has got that talent and ability to make things happen then we need him in the side. The players we are bringing into the club now shouldn’t be strengthening the squad, they should be to improve the starting XI and hopefully the boy can do that.”
OPINION
A large selection of Leeds fans were crying out for a new striker in the January window and their wishes were finally granted as the club landed Roberts from West Brom. He will now be tasked with competing alongside the likes of Pierre-Michel Lasogga and Kemar Roofe for a regular starting position in the starting XI. Leeds fans have managed to pick up a rising star that is being tipped for great things in the future, but whether he can produce now as a teenager remains to be seen. Christiansen’s side have shown great faith in snapping up Roberts and an early goal for the pacy centre-forward into his Leeds career would be a brilliant help.