Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa is in line to hand versatile midfielder Vurnon Anita a surprise lifeline at the club after the 29-year-old was marked for a summer exit, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reporter states on his personal Twitter account that the Dutch utility man, who played as a midfielder, right back and left back for the Whites last season, had been identified by the club as someone destined to be sold, but that following Bielsa’s arrival he could be handed a chance to prove himself.
had been earmarked to go at the start of the summer but not so sure now. Wasn’t on Bielsa’s exit list. Still recovering from injury.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) July 3, 2018
The former Newcastle man, who is on the comeback trail from an injury suffered last season, made 22 appearances for Leeds during his first campaign with the club.
Opinion
Anita arrived at Elland Road from Newcastle as a free transfer but despite all his experience of the Premier League and Championship with the Magpies, he still failed to live up to expectations. Perhaps it was the fact he was utilised as a jack of all trades but master of none by the likes of Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom, being shoehorned into different roles simply as a stopgap, rather than being handed a regular role in the first team. His exit seemed almost a certainty, but perhaps Bielsa wants to run the rule over the Dutch player himself before sanctioning a sale. Once he recovers from his injury, it will be his chance to prove that he does in fact have what it takes to be a success at Elland Road, and that he can form an important role in the senior side. If he fails, then that exit door will be looming larger than ever.