Here are your Leeds United evening headlines on Tuesday, January 18.
McCoist praises Leeds' Bielsa
Former Rangers forward Ally McCoist has heaped praise on Marcelo Bielsa after his Leeds United side ran out 3-2 winners at West Ham United despite club's current injury situation.
Burnley's home game against Watford on Tuesday became the 22nd Premier League postponement this season due to Covid-19 and it's the Clarets' second match within three days to be called off.
However, McCoist has decided to laud Leeds after getting on with it and playing the games with an inexperienced bench and a number of injuries in their squad.
He told talkSPORT: "I’m of the opinion, I understand totally and appreciate games could and should be cancelled, but only due to COVID reasons.
"A lot of us go on about Bielsa and enjoy Bielsa, this is just another tick in his box. He could have mumped and moaned and said this is our situation.
"But he just gets on with it. His team ends up putting one of their best performances this season and ends up doing really well.
"Sean Dyche got a game cancelled there at Burnley, the last thing he needs is games cancelled. The teams above them have played four or five games more, you don’t want to start getting cut adrift at the bottom of the league.
"He wants an opportunity to get those points back and playing."
Whelen makes Drameh claim
Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan believes that Cody Drameh's loan move to Cardiff City will do him the 'world of good' as he gains regular first-team football in the Championship.
The full-back joined the Bluebirds until the end of the season last week, although Marcelo Bielsa revealed he wanted to keep Drameh at the club.
Whelan, however, is certain that the loan move to Cardiff will benefit him in the future.
"A really good smashing young man, a real talent as well," Whelan told Football Insider.
"I do believe that when you get to a certain stage of your career as a young boy, a young man, under-23s isn’t enough.
"But sometimes that step to the first team is a bit too much. You need that middle area where you go out and play men’s competitive football to get that next part of your progression under your belt.
"This will do him the world of good, it really will. Playing with a good team in Cardiff in a very, very, strong competitive league in the Championship.
"I think this is where he’s going to learn a lot more about himself. He’s going to develop himself as a player and he will come back a much better and much stronger personality and player at the end of it.
"In my day, we got this experience in the reserves. We were up against proper men when we were young boys.
"We had to learn quickly about ourselves, how we needed to adapt to that kind of level. I think this is what they’re learning now, but in a different way, when they go out on loan."
Hjelde speaks after Leeds debut
Leeds United defender Leo Hjelde has admitted he had to lose weight when he first joined the club from Celtic in the summer to match the demands of the training sessions.
Speaking to Norwegian outlet NRK after becoming the Scandinavian nation's youngest-ever Premier League debutant, Hjelde said: "It is a bit surreal to get the debut at such a young age, it makes it almost even better."
"Everything happened very fast. There were two players [Firpo and Forshaw] who went down and then I was told to go out and warm up. When I realised I was going in, my heart was pounding.
"The start has been very nice, but it took me a couple of weeks to get into everyday training," he added, on the transition from top flight football in Scotland to the Leeds regime.
"I was told that I had to lose a few kilos to become a Premier League player. You have weight goals, so I was told to lose a few kilos to be at the combat weight they wanted. It was a bit heavy to step down on the food."
