Noel Whelan believes that Leeds United forward Eddie Nketiah has done enough to justify being given his first Championship start by Marcelo Bielsa.
The 20-year-old striker, on loan at Elland Road from Arsenal, hit his third goal of the campaign in United’s 2-2 Carabao Cup draw with Stoke City on Wednesday evening – a tie that the Yorkshire giants ultimately lost on penalties.
But BBC pundit Whelan was still suitably impressed with Nketiah’s display.
Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “I’m looking forward to seeing more of Nketiah and there’s no doubt I will.
“He looks brilliant. You watch him play and think, ‘wow, he’s outstanding’ – the movement, the pace, the knack for being in the right place at the right time. Proper striker.
“Nketiah will be in the first team in the league soon enough, and Patrick Bamford will be on the bench. Bamford has made an excellent start to the season and looks fitter and stronger than last season, but he is not going to start every game.”
Does Nketiah deserve the nod from Bielsa?
Absolutely, yes.
The youngster has been in sensational form since arriving from Arsenal towards the end of the transfer window, and if he keeps on scoring goals, it is surely only a matter of time before he is trusted with a starting berth.
Last night’s strike was his second in two Carabao Cup appearances, but he also has one in 29 minutes in the Championship, and it was that outing, against Brentford, that is arguably the most exciting display from a supporter’s perspective.
Not only did Nketiah score, but he struck late in a tight game to take all three points.
That shows a young man capable of handling pressure well, and despite only making the briefest cameos in the league, he is already showing that he has a real creative streak too.
Despite only playing 29 minutes over two separate appearances, Nketiah has averaged one shot on goal, 0.5 dribbles, and 0.5 key passes per game, as per Whoscored.
Given how well he is finding the back of the net, logic dictates that if you give him more time on the field, those numbers are only going to keep climbing.
What would Nketiah’s inclusion mean for Patrick Bamford?
Bamford has started the season well, to be fair to him.
Four goals in five Championship games, at a rate of 3.6 shots per game and a pass success rate of 81.4%, as per Whoscored, show a player who has finally properly found his feet at Elland Road.
In fact, you could very probably argue that it is his hot form that has stopped Nketiah from starting a match before now.
In all but one league game this season, Bielsa has opted to go with a lone frontman.
You would expect a man of his principled philosophy to stick with a system for the most part of a season, and so you would have to imagine that that means Nketiah and Bamford will be in direct competition for a starting spot.
The Championship is long and arduous though, and injuries are always a concern, especially for Bamford, who missed 22 games through various complaints last season, as per Transfermarkt.
On that basis alone, you would expect Nketiah to get his chance, and if he continues to mine the rich vein of form he has struck in Yorkshire, it will become increasingly difficult to ignore him.