Michael Appleton has defended his decision to sacrifice Leeds United loanee Ian Poveda in Blackpool's 1-1 draw against Hull City on Boxing Day.
Poveda was replaced by Dominic Thompson in the 56th minute after Jordan Thorniley was sent off just after the restart.
Blackpool were leading 1-0 courtesy of Sonny Carey's first half opener, but Oscar Estupinan's 77th-minute equaliser salvaged a point for the Tigers.
However, Appleton insists that a defensive change was required after his side were reduced to 10-men, and that Poveda will have a role to play when Sheffield United visit Bloomfield Road on Thursday.
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“On his day he’s a matchwinner. You’ve just got to get him in a good headspace and he seems that way at the minute. He’s had an impact coming off the bench in the last two fixtures," Appleton said via LancsLive.
“He’s started today, done his bit, and once the sending off happened, it was difficult to keep him on the pitch with who we were up against and what you needed to do, having to bring an extra defender on."
Poveda has struggled for game time since joining Blackpool on loan in the summer. He had made just two starts prior to their draw against Hull, but had impressed after coming off the bench in his previous outing at Cardiff City.
The 22-year-old thrived during his previous loan spell at Blackburn Rovers until his season was ended prematurely due to injury. The former Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona academy star joined Leeds on a free transfer from Manchester City in 2020.
He has amassed 30 appearances for the Whites across all competitions, including 14 matches in the Premier League. However, Poveda has just 18 months left to run on his current contract at Elland Road.
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