Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has been left ‘surprised’ and confounded by the ability of Tyler Roberts as a centre forward after originally switching him to a winger’s role, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
The newspaper claim that the Argentine manager had the £2.5million January signing working as a wide forward rather than a striker in pre-season, in what was a surprise turnaround for the 19-year-old after being brought to Elland Road as a future talent leading the line.
However, it is stated that the rarely-seen youngster, with just two Championship appearances this season and four outings in total, has caused Bielsa to change his mind once again, this time about his talents, after watching him score twice against Preston in midweek, the player said to have been itching to start up top.
Opinion
When Roberts arrived at Elland Road the expectation was that they were getting their hands on a bright young talent who could flourish into a quality centre forward over the coming years. However, whatever chances he had of proving himself were cruelly snatched away as he suffered a season-ending injury very early on in his time at the club, and he has had to wait a while before being given the chance to shine. He must have been ruing his luck that after spending so long out on the sidelines, his return saw Bielsa trying to change his position and push him out wide – something no natural striker wants to do. However, he has done exactly what he needed to by proving his worth when it matters, and the goals he scored against Preston were of the highest quality, and it appears to have caused Bielsa to have second thoughts about where the youngster’s future lies.