Leeds United fans have been reacting to comments made by Marcelo Bielsa surrounding midfielder Lewis Bate.
The club signed the 22-year-old midfielder this summer in a deal reported to be £1.5m plus add-ons, but he has yet to make an appearance for the first-team so far since his move, instead finding himself with the academy where he has made seven appearances for the U23 side in all competitions so far.
However, it looks as if he has managed to impress during his spell with the youngsters. Speaking in his press conference ahead of this weekend’s game with Watford (via Leeds Live), Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa had this to say about the midfielder:
“He’s a player that is constantly managing the ball and he doesn’t lose it very often. And he’s got a good sense of a pass, he can thread it through the needle.”
Leeds-focused account @FocusOnLeeds believed this meant that he was getting close to a call-up to the first team, and when these comments were relayed to supporters online, they too felt like he wouldn’t be too far away from the senior side:
“Does just sound like exactly what we need in the first squad I’d quite like him in a deep-lying role too, we struggle to play the ball out sometimes so if he sat deep he might play those forward balls we need.”
Would you like to see Lewis Bate in the first team?
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No
Given the number of injuries that have struck the side recently, who knows – he could be getting a call-up quite soon if things don’t sort themselves out.
In other news: ‘Vital to us’, ‘No-brainer’, ‘Get it done ASAP’ – Lots of Leeds fans excited as news emerges