Here are the latest Leeds United morning headlines on Wednesday, April 20.
Leeds youngster catching the eye out on loan
The development path at Leeds has been made extremely clear this season as the Whites have used a record amount of teenagers in the Premier League. One player who will be encouraged by the youth pathway is young goalkeeper Elia Caprile who has really caught the eye during his loan spell with Pro Patria.
His impressive performances between the sticks this season for the Serie C side have been described as the difference between relegation and staying in the division. Italian outlet informazioneonline called the 20-year-old ‘Saint Elia’ and branded him ‘the goalkeeper of miracles’.
Read more: Leeds United's six players over 30 and Victor Orta's succession plan
Those comments will be particularly intriguing for Jesse Marsch and his coaching staff who will be keen to reassess the youngster’s position in the squad upon his return. Another loan move may beckon at a team playing at a higher standard than Pro Patria.
Nketiah responds to Marsch’s ‘overtraining’ comment
Marsch caused a bit of a storm amongst the Leeds fanbase when he blamed this season’s injury crisis on Marcelo Bielsa ‘overtraining’ the squad. It was perceived by many as something of a low blow to his predecessor who is, of course, still beloved by the fans at Elland Road.
Speaking on The Beautiful Game Podcast, Eddie Nketiah defended the Argentine’s training methods, claiming that he remains indebted to the time he spent at Leeds. He said: “It’s difficult to say whether it’s wrong because I felt like he was getting the best out of the players that he had. Everyone was improving a lot, even myself.
“I’m not going to lie, the training was hard. Sometimes I like to go out to eat [after training] but I can’t remember any time going out to eat, I was going back home to sleep! I was coming back from training knackered.
“That was the first time I really felt like I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone. Almost every day I was coming in thinking I need to rest so that I could be ready for training again.”
Read more of what the former Leeds loanee had to say here.
Marsch admits to training involvement
Following on from the video that went viral of Roy Hodgson threading an inch-perfect through ball through to Joao Pedro in Watford training, Marsch was asked about his involvement in similar sessions at Thorp Arch. He revealed that, when required, he jumps in as an extra man despite admitting that his ability and age often hold him back.
"I like to run training sessions, if we do little exercises and need an extra man I can jump in and play sometimes,” said the Leeds boss. “I'm very, very limited and hate being the guy that looks so old on the pitch, but that's the reality of what I am.
“With everything I do with the group, I try to convey an energy that is about being positive, aggressive, enjoying our work together, but also getting better every day. So, that includes when I step out onto the pitch and play.”
Read more here.
