OPINION
Many Leeds United fans were no doubt tearing their hair out when they found out that Tyler Roberts was due to start against West Brom on Friday night.
The previous two clashes against Bolton and QPR did not showcase to the 20-year-old to the best of the ability and it is safe to say he was rather ineffectual, so you would not have blamed the supporters for being a bit baffled when Marcelo Bielsa selected him yet again.
However, those games are all now a thing of the past, as Roberts shone brightly in the resounding 4-0 win over the Baggies and looked completely transformed.
His inability to produce the final touch in the last third and decent end product were heavily criticised in the past, but that end product was there on Friday night – as well as his positioning, his running and his dribbling.
This was all backed up by the magic feet of Pablo Hernandez, who combined with the youngster beautifully on some occasions.
This was the attacker’s best performance in a Leeds shirt to date, and he certainly proved many of the doubters wrong with such an assured outing.
He caused massive problems with his running from deep positions and he even provided two of the assists for the goals, so he is certainly a favourite amongst many of the fans at the moment.
This was a must-win for the Whites, especially as West Brom were in contention for promotion too, but Roberts did not let the importance of the clash affect him in any way.
If he performs like this against the bigger teams – or indeed the smaller teams in the Championship – then he is going to cause a huge selection headache for Bielsa when star attacker Kemar Roofe eventually makes a return.
Either way, the Leeds star looked completely transformed on Friday, and long may it continue.