Poor judgement – Sky Sports pundit claims Radrizzani on brink of making terrible Leeds mistake
Sky Sports pundit David Prutton has said that Leeds manager Paul Heckingbottom hasn't been given a chance at Leeds and called Andrea Radrizzani's judgement into question if he sacks him.
Heckingbottom's position is seemingly under threat after Football Insider revealed that the decision had been made by owner Andrea Radrizzani to sack the manager between now and the end of the season.
Results have been terrible since Heckingbottom took over, with just two wins leaving Leeds fans wondering what would have happened if they hadn't had such a fast start to the season.
Since the turn of the year their form has been relegation-worthy, but Prutton claims that this can't be levelled at Heckingbottom's door.
Writing in his column in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Prutton said, "To put that in the context of Leeds United, if the results under Paul Heckingbottom are as poor as they were under Thomas Christiansen towards the end, doesn’t that tell you that this, first and foremost, is down to the quality and mentality of the team?"
He said that injuries have played a part but that the results show that, first and foremost, the squad needs a major overhaul.
"As for Leeds, it won’t reflect well on them if, at the the end of the season, they jettison Heckingbottom.
"It’s literally three months since Andrea Radrizzani was apologising for the last appointment he made.
"It would call into question Radrizzani’s judgement, the advice he’s getting from people around him and the idea that Leeds have a coherent plan when it comes to their philosophy.
"Heckingbottom needs to produce better results, there’s no denying that, but pointing the finger at him feels like missing the bigger picture."
Football Insider verdict:
You can go both ways on this, to be fair. Heckingbottom did inherit a squad that's obviously not good enough for promotion from the Championship but he hasn't done anything with it. He hasn't produced a coherent side and doesn't seem to know who his best players are. Some fans think he should be given a chance, but the majority want him out and it's hard not to side with them. You want to see something from your manager and for us, Heckingbottom hasn't done anything to prove that he can turn things around next season. It does seem that the decision has already been made though and if they are going to get rid they should do so before the summer, giving the new manager a clear run at the summer transfer window.