Speaking in a fan Q&A for The Athletic, journalist Phil Hay has said that Ian Poveda’s situation since joining Leeds United has been “slightly strange”.
Since joining Leeds United from Manchester City, young winger Ian Poveda has not quite hit the ground running as some may have expected. The 20-year-old arrived and made the first-team squad on two occasions but since then, he has not been seen in the matchday squad.
The youngster has dropped off the radar somewhat and now, respected journalist Phil Hay has delivered his verdict on Poveda’s situation. Speaking in a fan Q&A for The Athletic, Hay said:
“It was slightly strange with him [Poveda] – he came in, trained well and made a couple of matchday squads but then disappeared from view completely.
“With Bielsa, you automatically assume that Poveda wasn’t hitting the right levels of fitness or performance. That tends to dictate Bielsa’s selection policy and to the best of our knowledge, Poveda hasn’t been injured.”
Poveda has displayed his ability in Under-23s games so to hear that no injury worries have caused his absence is a somewhat confusing one for Leeds United supporters.
The season’s suspension has put off his involvement even more but given his tender years and obvious ability, it is far too early to cast a damning judgement on the young winger. It will be interesting to see if Poveda re-emerges into the senior picture at Leeds before the end of the season, or if Bielsa keeps him in the Under-23s until he believes he is ready for senior action.
