Former Premier League footballer Darren Bent has wondered if Eddie Nketiah’s inconsistent game time at Leeds United was down to a lack of hard work from the former on-loan striker.
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Nketiah has been recalled by parent club Arsenal in recent days following a loan spell at Elland Road that saw the 20-year-old start just twice in the league for the Whites – which incidentally both occurred over the Christmas period in Leeds’ two most recent games.
The striker’s next move is set to be sorted in the near future, with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta vowing to make the ‘best decision’ for the striker.
However, when speaking to Football Insider, Bent pondered whether Nketiah’s lack of minutes and subsequent recall was down to his efforts on the pitch.
He said: “[Marcelo] Bielsa clearly loves [Patrick] Bamford – even when Bamford wasn’t scoring, he would play him because Bamford puts a shift in, he leads the line, works hard.
“Maybe Nketiah wasn’t doing that so maybe Bielsa and his team need more than just goals.”
It certainly seems as though Patrick Bamford was the undisputed first-choice striker for Leeds, with the forward starting every league game until the recent trips to Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion.
Though judging by Bielsa’s words following his recall, it appears Leeds would have been happy to keep Nketiah for the remainder of the season – which would go against Bent’s theory.
However, that perhaps would not explain why he was so out-of-favour at Elland Road, which suggests there may well have been a noticeable difference between the styles of Bamford and Nketiah that saw starting opportunities desert the youngster – despite scoring on five occasions, although he has not netted since October.
Whether his recent starts were a sign of progression for Nketiah – or a last-minute plea to Arsenal in order to retain his services – it seems that Leeds were far from unhappy with the striker, although his limited chances would understandably lead to concerns like the ones Bent has put forward.
Leeds fans, should Nketiah have been given more of a chance at the club? Let us know what you think below!
