Gaetano Berardi may not get in Leeds team for the rest of the season despite being fully fit and “loved” by Marcelo Bielsa, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
The regional newspaper claim the one-time Switzerland international is facing an uphill battle to get in the starting XI after making his first appearance in five months on Saturday.
The YEP report the consistency of the form of Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper in the centre-back positions is a major barrier to Berardi, 30, even though Bielsa is such an admirer of “his professionalism and the quality of his passing”.
OPINION
Berardi began the season superbly in a new centre-back role following Jansson’s late return from the World Cup, putting to bed questions about why on earth Marcelo Bielsa hadn’t signed another proven central defender in the summer window. Like in so many areas, the Argentine was proven right. Yet, the torn hamstring that sidelined Berardi until he returned on the bench for the last three matches has disrupted what promised to be the best season yet at the club for the Elland Road cult hero. The defender joined the club in the summer of 2014 from Sampdoria and his willingness to put his head where most players wouldn’t even fling a foot has guaranteed him a place in the hearts of Whites, who recognise someone who treats every match like it could be his last one. Could that start way back in October end up being Berardi’s final one of the campaign? With just 10 matches remaining, there is a sense that only an injury or suspension will now lead to Cooper or Jansson missing a game.