Leeds United winger Helder Costa struggled for his loan club Al-Ittihad on Friday evening in a 1-0 win over Al-Raed.

The Lowdown: Al-Ittihad loan

The Whites once again sent the forward out on loan this season after spending the 2021/22 campaign in Spain with Valencia.

Costa made 27 appearances for the La Liga side but failed to score, registering just two assists. Valencia declined to exercise their option to sign him permanently as a result, with Leeds recently sending the 28-year-old to Saudi Arabia to work under his former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo once more.

The Latest: Poor display

Costa made his third appearance for Al-Ittihad on Friday, lining out on the left of a front three.

However, the loanee had an evening to forget, with nine of his team-mates receiving a better SofaScore rating than the Angola international.

Costa ended with a 6.6/10 match rating and failed to complete any of his three attempted dribbles. He failed to have a single shot on target and lost three of his four duels, also relinquishing possession nine times.

The Verdict: No Leeds future?

Costa had the perfect chance to impress Leeds officials this weekend, with the postponement of the Whites’ game against Nottingham Forest enabling them to keep all eyes on loanees playing outside of the UK.

However, he failed to take his opportunity, and it appears as if any chance of an Elland Road future for him is fading quickly.

The winger is still under contract until 2024, but following a disappointing spell in Spain and seemingly already struggling in Saudi Arabia, Leeds could be open to a permanent exit for him next summer.

The Whites have recently shown that they are willing to terminate a player’s contract in Kiko Casilla, so Costa could well be in line for a similar anti-climax next year, should his performances on loan fail to catch the eye.