Inclusion, an arm around the shoulder, public post-match huddles, a leadership council and extra days off here and there have all formed a part of Jesse Marsch’s approach to the Leeds United job. The head coach has tried to lift the pressure that was on shoulders around the club and foster a feeling of togetherness throughout Thorp Arch.
That open approach to all corners of his squad has extended to those who are even technically on the books at other clubs too. Ian Poveda was not perhaps a face we expected to see out on the training pitches with the rest of the first-team squad.
The 22-year-old is contracted to Leeds until 2024 and expected to compete with the rest of the squad for a place in the summer, but he’s still technically on loan with Blackburn Rovers. The winger broke his ankle in November while playing for them, but the loan arrangement was not cut short and Tony Mowbray said the Ewood Park outfit has continued to pay their share of Poveda’s salary throughout.
READ MORE: Leeds United to make history with record under-23 attendance bigger than some Premier League clubs
Since suffering the injury, Poveda has been a regular at Thorp Arch in his Leeds training kit as he goes through his rehabilitation programme. Blackburn plan to assess Poveda in the very near future before deciding whether he plays any part for them in the closing matches of the season.
Seeing the former Manchester City winger out on the pitches at Thorp Arch is a big step and a long way forward from lifting weights in the gym. It would be very easy for Marsch to keep Poveda separate from his main group, which is going through drills and exercises critical to important coming matches.
To include the wide man on the grass and make him feel a part of the group, despite him heading out the door imminently, shows the open mind Marsch is keeping and the inclusive nature he wants to endorse. It’s early days for the American at Leeds and this is another valuable opportunity he is taking to assess a player he has not had the chance to see play yet.
Some managers might keep players who cannot be a part of their plans away from the group he can select from and keep the training unit as it was, but Marsch has taken that first opportunity to make Poveda feel included and wanted.
