Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa's 'preference' was always to keep hold of Crysencio Summerville in the January transfer window, according to reliable journalist Phil Hay.
The Lowdown: Summerville stays put
The 20-year-old has enjoyed some sporadic minutes for the Whites this season, making five appearances in the Premier League along with three domestic cup outings. He has been hailed as 'excellent' by some Leeds fans and was also dubbed a "bag of tricks" by Chris Powell, who is currently part of Gareth Southgate's England coaching ticket.
Summerville was linked with a loan move away from Elland Road last month but he ended up staying put, despite being approached by a number of clubs.
A fresh update regarding the young winger has now emerged, making the situation a little clearer.
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The Latest: Hay says Bielsa wanted to keep Summerville
Taking to Twitter on Monday, Hay claimed that Bielsa always wanted Summerville to remain at Leeds, even though potential replacements were lined up.
The journalist tweeted: "Bielsa's preference in the window was to keep Summerville. The reason for the sudden links to Minamino/Kenedy etc was because of the possibility that Summerville would go late on. Bielsa taking the same stance he did with Drameh."
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The Verdict: Where will minutes come his way?
While it is pleasing to see such faith shown in Summerville, the only issue now is whether or not he will earn sufficient playing time at Leeds between now and May.
He still hasn't started in the league this season, and with Raphinha, Jack Harrison and Dan James all ahead of him in the pecking order at Elland Road, it is hard to see that changing.
It could be that a loan move would have ended up being more beneficial for Summerville in terms of his development, but the definitive judgement on that can be made in the next few months.
In other news, Leeds have shared a key injury update regarding one player. Find out who it is here.