Journalist Conor McGilligan has claimed that Tyler Roberts is not good enough to be kept at Leeds United if they want to progress forward as a club.
Roberts has had a tough season for Leeds as he was largely out of favour, making 23 appearances in the Premier League, with just seven of those coming from the start.
However, with the introduction of Jesse Marsch, there was an opportunity for Roberts to prove his worth, but he picked up an injury in the American’s first game in charge against Leicester City, which meant he was sidelined until the last game of the season, where he was an unused substitute.
With the Welshman failing to get regular game time under Bielsa, McGilligan claimed on the One Leeds Fan YouTube channel that he is simply not good enough and his form won’t change under Marsch.
He said: “Tyler Roberts is not good enough. I am not interested in hearing, ‘ah well, he might be different in a 4-2-3-1 formation, he might be different in a 4-2-2-2’.
“I’m sorry, this is where we have to be ruthless. If we want to be a club challenging for European football, if we want to be in the top six, the top eight, if we want to be progressive as a football club, you don’t have Tyler Roberts starting for Leeds United.”
Is Roberts' time up at Leeds?Yes
No
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TIF Thoughts on McGilligan’s comments…
Roberts was somewhat out of form when he was handed first-team opportunities this season, as he was ranked 12th in terms of average player rating (6.74), though he also averaged just 49 minutes per appearance, so he has not been given a chance to fully show what he can do.
It might take for a new manager with a new style of play to get the best out of Roberts, and if he is given a run of games in the side, he may come good for Marsch and prove his doubters wrong.
However, it is clear that McGilligan believes his race is run at Leeds – which is perhaps a case of him running out of patience.