Here are your Leeds United headlines on Friday, March 24.
Stan Collymore makes Wilfried Gnonto 'trouble' admission after Italy cameo
Former England striker Stan Collymore has highlighted Leeds United winger Wilfried Gnonto as 'trouble' after his appearance off the bench for Italy in their 2-1 loss to England in the EURO 2024 Qualifiers last night.
Goals from Declan Rice and Harry Kane were enough for the Three Lions to overcome their historically bad run in Italy, having not beaten the Italians there since 1961.
A Luke Shaw red card late on spurred a period of full push for an equaliser from Roberto Mancini's side, who bought on Gnonto with 20 minutes to go.
But the youngster was unable to make any major impact down the left meaning the Azzurri started their campaign off on the wrong foot, something Collymore believes could be righted by the 19-year-old in the future.
He took to social media and wrote: "I like Gnonto. Bit erratic but post 65 mins could create all sorts of trouble."
Forgotten former Leeds United man on Whites learning experience and hails Marcelo Bielsa 'dreams'
Former Leeds United youngster Elia Caprile has lifted the lid on a tough learning experience at Elland Road. The former Whites youngster struggled to break into the first team having signed from Italian side Chievo back in 2020.
Marcelo Bielsa called the Italian up to the first team squad on a number of occasions but wouldn't hand him any appearances. Caprile had a season-long loan at Serie C side Pro Patria in 2020-21, establishing himself as the team's first-choice goalkeeper, keeping a total amount of 12 clean sheets in 39 appearances.
He joined Bari last summer and signed a three-year deal with the Serie B side, with Leeds reportedly having a sell-on fee included in any future transfer. Caprile has been a regular in Italy's U21s set-up this season and is attracting interest from elsewhere.
Junior Firpo's Leeds United turnaround has helped Javi Gracia plug persistent problem
Junior Firpo’s first 18 months as a Leeds United player were challenging, to say the very least. The left-back struggled to stay fit in his first season with the club, spending almost as much time on the sidelines as he did on the field as problem after problem cropped up.
That lack of consistency in the side seemed to make an understandably large dent in his form and as Leeds’ slumped towards the foot of the Premier League table, the frustration surrounding Firpo and his performances grew. Those injury problems spilled over into this season, too, ensuring the first half of his second year in West Yorkshire was just as exasperating for supporters.
The injury Firpo picked up in the club’s first pre-season clash with Blackpool saw him ruled out for the first month and when he returned to fitness, the form of Pascal Struijk in the left-back role ensured he was used sparingly. As such, at the turn of the year, it’s fair to say few could have seen the re-emergence of Firpo as the club’s first choice left-back coming.
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