Jesse Marsch is more than aware of Crysencio Summerville’s growing need to play more regular first-team football for Leeds United. The 20-year-old has been a fixture in the Whites’ squad this season and while the head coach has looked to him on a regular basis off the bench, his game time has been minimal.
In fact, Summerville has seen a collective total of just 82 minutes over the first nine games of the Premier League season, with his average time on the field being just 16 minutes. He was given just six minutes on the field during Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal and he touched the ball just four times.
Marsch knows that isn’t enough for the Dutchman to grow and progress as a young player and he has spoken about his need to put his faith in Summerville and allow him to spread his wings. Striking the right balance is tricky, though, and with the Whites without a win in six Premier League games, he hasn’t been able to hand out as many opportunities as he would have liked recently while he focuses his attention on turning form around.
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The head coach has hailed Summerville’s growth and development on the training field in recent weeks, insisting he has been showing impressive form. However, after opting against rewarding him a full debut against Crystal Palace in Luis Sinisterra’s absence, he knows the time to let him off the leash in the Premier League is coming.
“At some point I'm going to have to say to myself I've got to let Cry go more,” Marsch said. “I've got to find more minutes for him.
“I've got to let him show how good he is and he's making progress every day. I'll have to make decisions based on match plans and opponents and what's necessary in the season and then each match for what we need.”
Summerville isn’t the only youngster Marsch needs to find more opportunities for, with Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood amongst those pushing for more involvement at present. Gelhardt has seen more action than Summerville this season so far, with his seven appearances yielding 131 minutes.
However, he has stepped off the bench five times in the final 10 minutes of games and has struggled to make an impact as a result. He’ll be hoping to earn more opportunities in the coming weeks, while Marsch also has Wilfried Gnonto at his disposal.
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