Whelan likens star to Harvey Elliott after Leeds deal agreed
It will be a difficult challenge but Leeds United starlet Ian Poveda can flourish during his time on loan with Blackburn Rovers.
So says Leeds ambassador Noel Whelan, speaking exclusively to Football Insider after Poveda’s temporary exit was confirmed on 23 August.
This site revealed six days earlier that Poveda was in line for a late-window exit after his demotion from the first team.
A permanent exit was on the cards for the wide man but Leeds ultimately decided to lend him to Championship side Blackburn.
And Whelan claims that it is the right time for the 21-year-old to go and play regular football in the second tier.
“I think it’s a sensible move for the young man,” he told Football Insider assistant editor Russell Edge
“He’s going to a good footballing side in Blackburn. We’ve seen Harvey Elliot go there and is now very much part of Liverpool’s first-team plans.
“He’s at that age where he needs to play regular football in a competitive league. We all hope that he does very well and is very successful there.
“We want him to come back to Leeds United in a better place where he is going to be in contention to push for those starting XI spots.
“He has progressed when he’s been here but now he needs to go further. He is only going to do that by playing more football matches in a difficult league.
“It’s going to be a difficult challenge for him but where better for him than a team that plays football like Blackburn?”
In other news, pundit tips Leeds United teen for last-gasp Leeds United exit after confirmed news.