Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt was left confused by his lack of game time last season, according to Phil Hay.
The Lowdown: Villa absence
Gelhardt made five of those came from the start.
The 20-year-old managed to contribute to 720 minutes of top-flight action and was used more from December onwards due to Patrick Bamford’s continued injury issues.
The forward has started one league game under Jesse Marsch during the current campaign but was left out of the squad entirely last time out against Aston Villa despite being fit and available for selection.
The Latest: Hay’s claim
Leeds correspondent Hay shared an in-depth story on Gelhardt for The Athletic on Friday. He stated that Gelhardt ‘would have liked more minutes last season and that certain occasions when he wasn’t used, particularly as a substitute, confused him as much as others watching’.
The reporter even mentions the possibility of cashing in on the player down the line: “Gelhardt, for a snip from Wigan, was the sort of signing which could hardly go wrong; the sort of signing which could, quite easily, earn a club a killing competitively or financially.”
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The Verdict: January loan?
Sunday’s selection against Aston Villa seemed to show that deadline-day signing Wilfried Gnonto is now above Gelhardt in Marsch’s attacking pecking order, with the Italy international getting the nod on the bench.
Gelhardt responded by netting twice for the U21s in a 5-3 EFL Trophy win over Tranmere Rovers in the week, so it’ll be interesting to see if he features against Crystal Palace this weekend.
If he doesn’t, then you could make an argument for a January loan move to the Championship being beneficial, so his situation may well be one to watch closely over the next six weeks.