Former Leeds United loanee Eddie Nketiah has said the work of Marcelo Bielsa on the training field made Arsenal players think he ‘was on drugs’ when he returned from his spell at Elland Road. Nketiah spent the first half of Leeds ’ promotion campaign with the club where he was reduced predominantly to substitute appearances.
The 22-year-old scored five goals in 19 matches for the Whites, including three vital ones in the league, but struggled to dislodge Patrick Bamford as Bielsa’s first choice number nine. Bielsa has been renowned throughout his career for working his players hard on the training field and that was no different at Leeds as he turned them into the fittest side in the Championship.
Nketiah claimed that it initially took him some time to get used to the intensity of the Argentine’s sessions, but the improvement in his fitness levels was there to see when he returned to Arsenal and linked up with England’s U21s. He is thankful for the loan spell he had at Leeds but admits he would have liked more game time.
