Leeds employee excited by ‘brilliance’ he’s seen from Roberts
Noel Whelan has insisted Leeds United are finally starting to see the best of Tyler Roberts this season.
The former Leeds striker and club ambassador, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, admitted he has seen “glimpses of brilliance” from the 22-year-old, who has been subject to a torrent of criticism from a significant section of supporters.
As quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post (11 December) on Saturday, Marcelo Bielsa hailed Roberts’ development this season and insisted he has shown “a lot of his virtues”.
However, the Argentine boss claimed “there’s a lot of things that he can do that he hasn’t made visible yet”.
Whelan admitted he had been hugely impressed with Roberts’ “energy level” in recent games.
Whelan told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “I think he’s now giving what Bielsa requires and what he needs from a centre forward.
“Look at the work rate that Patrick Bamford puts in for the team. Working the backline, running them into areas where centre-halves don’t want to go.
“The last couple of games I’ve seen an increased energy level from Tyler Roberts. A sharpness and willingness to do the hard work off the ball.
“But when he’s on the ball, we always crave and see really good football play from Tyler Roberts. However, we were always going on about the end product. There was never an assist, there was never a goal at the end of it.
“Now he’s got the goal, he’s found that little spark that strikers sometimes need to kick start their season and their confidence.
“I think Tyler is one of these players that people really want him to do well. He’s one of these where you see glimpses of brilliance on the ball. The way he can turn on the ball and he can drive into areas.
“But if you’re playing as a centre forward, you really need to do what he did against Brentford. Get yourself in the right area, get yourself being a threat in between centre-halves and get an end product. A goal or an assist.
“That is what has been lacking in his performances and games. That’s what we need to see from Tyler.”
Roberts made his 100th appearance for Leeds against Brentford.
He scored his first goal of the season against the Bees.
In other news, Danny Mills tips Leeds United to launch January transfer raid after major player news.