Leeds United favourite Wilfried Gnonto has been likened to a modern-day Shaun Wright-Phillips - by the former England, Manchester City and Chelsea winger himself! In an interview with FTBL, Wright-Phillips was asked if he sees himself in any of the current crop of Premier League players and he immediately singled out Gnonto.
The diminutive Wright-Phillips pointed to the similarities in stature and playing style between Gnonto and himself. "Gnonto, I think," said Wright-Phillips, when asked the question.
"It's the way he plays. Obviously, he's short!
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"His directness, the way he plays, he keeps the ball, his little jinky runs and stuff like that. I quite like him a lot to be fair."
Italy international Gnonto has impressed since joining Leeds last summer, although the Whites are embroiled in a nerve-shredding relegation battle that looks set to go right to the wire. Gnonto has been involved in 22 of Leeds' 36 games, although only 14 of those appearances have been starts, and has scored two goals.
New Leeds boss Sam Allardyce has already said the 19-year-old should be starting more games and he included him in his starting XI for his first game in charge against Manchester City, although Gnonto then came on as a substitute in the following game against Newcastle United. Wright-Phillips last weekend appeared alongside his father, former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright, as pundits on the BBC's Match of the Day, making them the first father and son duo to work together on the show.
Wright-Phillips called time on his playing career in 2019 at the age of 37 following a stint with New York Red Bulls. During his career, he won the Premier League title with Chelsea, FA Cups with both Chelsea and Manchester City, and played in the 2010 World Cup with England.
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