Leeds United have put some of the bad memories of last term behind them with their start to the new campaign, but one of their former players has provided a reminder of how poor their recruitment processes were under previous regimes following their performance at the weekend.
What’s the latest news involving Leeds United?
The Whites defeated Watford 3-0 last weekend to record their fourth clean sheet in a row and move into the Sky Bet Championship playoff places due to goals from Joel Piroe, Sam Byram and Jaidon Anthony.
Speaking in the aftermath of his side’s impressive victory, Whites’ boss Daniel Farke stated: “We’re happy with how we played. At half time I was pretty happy, it doesn’t often happen where you don’t need to speak about any topics because I think we were brilliant. We created so many chances, dominated possession and dominated the game, we were all over them with good pressing and didn’t let them have one chance or hardly a touch in our half. To convert this dominance into a result is what we did in the second half and overall it was a fantastic performance and win for us.”
According to The Athletic, bringing Byram back to the club in the summer on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at Norwich City wasn’t originally something that those inside the corridors of power at Leeds United were totally convinced on. Nevertheless, Byram showed poise and an ability to stay fit at Thorp Arch during the summer, which ended in Farke recommending the Thurrock-born ace be offered a permanent deal at Elland Road.
Next up for Leeds United is an away trip to an out-of-form Southampton outfit this weekend on the South Coast, and the Whites will be keen to strengthen their hold on the playoff spots at an early stage of the season.
What’s been going on with Leeds’ former players?
As per Calciomercato, via Sport Witness, former Leeds loanee Weston McKennie has been criticised by prominent Italian football pundit Paolo Di Canto following Juventus’ 4-2 loss in Serie A against Sassuolo, as he stated: “McKennie is loaned to Leeds and contributed to their relegation, can he be a regular in a team that wins the championship? I don’t want to destroy the player by saying that he is not capable, but there are values.
Evaluating McKennie’s performance in the encounter via Sofascore, it is clear to see that the USA international was off the pace and barely offered anything for the duration of the match, completing zero dribbles, taking zero shots, making no successful challenges, only completing 18 passes, one cross and one interception in 60 minutes on the field of play.
Of course, McKennie was one of Victor Orta’s last signings before leaving Elland Road earlier this year and he failed to set the heather alight in Yorkshire, registering one assist in 20 appearances at the club, as per Transfermarkt.
Scattergun recruitment was a major issue for Orta toward the back end of his tenure as sporting director and Leeds United fans will be delighted to see their new signings in the present day starting to make a profound impact on the pitch.
