OPINION
Any slim hope Izzy Brown had of his first Leeds United start on Saturday has surely gone up in smoke after the events of Thursday night.
The attacking midfielder played the full 120 minutes of the Under-23s’ Premier League Cup win against Fulham at Guiseley in a thriller won on penalties by United.
Brown scored in normal time and netted one of Leeds’ spot-kicks as the 10-man hosts overcame the sending-off of goalkeeper Harrison Male shortly after the half-time interval.
But, in front of watching first-team boss Marcelo Bielsa, Brown’s extended run-out must end any hope he would have had of making the starting XI against Sheffield United in Saturday’s mouthwatering lunchtime showdown.
There’s no way the 22-year-old can be in the line-up after a mentally and physically exhausting work-out for the all-conquering youth team.
Bielsa ended his sequence of naming the starting XI two days in advance at his media briefing on Thursday, perhaps because he is unsure about the fitness of a few players following an intense recent schedule.
The best frozen-out Brown can hope for is a place on the bench after being given just nine minutes of action since joining on loan from Chelsea last summer.
Bielsa demands his players are in peak condition, and it appears the Premier League player still has some way to go after over a year out with a knee injury.