Phil Hay has hinted that the chances of Arsenal looking to recall striker Eddie Nketiah from Leeds United before the end of his loan spell at Elland Road are slim.
The youngster has been in fine form during the early stages of his time in Yorkshire, hitting four goals in six appearances, and bagging a decisive late strike in United’s 2-0 win over Barnsley on Sunday.
But despite his impressive form, Hay has suggested that he still has a way to go before he is able to break into the first team for his parent club.
Writing in a Q&A for the Athletic on Sunday, Hay said: “As it stands, I don’t think he’d get into Arsenal’s team.
“They’ve got a lot of firepower up front.
“This is why they wanted him out on loan – to get games and score goals.”
How important can Nketiah be for Leeds this season?
As it stands, the young hitman has still yet to start a league match for Marcelo Bielsa’s men.
The fact that he is still having such a huge impact on the side from the substitutes’ bench should be a real indication of just how good he could be for Leeds this year.
So far this term he has hit two goals in just 78 minutes in the Championship, and has done so at a rate of just 1.5 shots per game, as per Whoscored.
Clearly, the starlet is a natural finisher with a ruthless streak a mile wide, and the regularity with which he is hitting the back of the net has already made him a firm favourite with fans.
In fact, many are even asking whether he should be given the nod over Patrick Bamford for a starting role.
The answer to that is harder to judge.
On the one hand, Nketiah is on fire, no question, and it makes sense to put him in the side if he is scoring goals.
But equally, Bamford has had a decent start to the season too. Four goals in seven games is a pretty respectable return, and there is a reason that Bielsa has chosen to keep faith in him so far.
His average of 3.9 shots per game, as per Whoscored, may illustrate a worse conversion rate than Nketiah, but it also shows that he is getting into dangerous positions regularly, and if he can keep on doing that, more goals are bound to follow.
As for Nketiah, his time will come, but for now, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.