Whelan Exclusive: Leeds teen tipped for first XI after loan rejected
Noel Whelan has backed Joe Gelhardt to push for a first-team spot after Leeds United turned down loan offers for the teenage forward.
The former Leeds striker and lifelong fan at Elland Road, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, believes the promising forward has a chance of forcing his way into the senior side if he continues to impress playing for the under-23s.
As revealed by Football Insider on Wednesday of last week, Leeds have turned down several enquiries from Championship clubs about a potential loan move for the 18-year-old.
It is understood Marcelo Bielsa and the coaching staff at Elland Road want the teenager, who joined from Wigan Athletic last summer, to continue his development under their watch at Thorp Arch.
Gelhardt has impressed for the under-23s this season, with five goals in nine Premier League 2 appearances, and has built up a budding relationship with fellow summer signing Sam Greenwood.
Despite the young hitman already having senior experience from his time with Wigan, Whelan believes Leeds have made the right decision keeping him at the club for the rest of the campaign.
Whelan told Football Insider: “I think you need a good full season at a new club to get to grips with the style of play, familiarise yourself with the club, the training ground, the staff the players, the first team.
“I think it’s the right thing to do. All we want him to do is progress with the under-23s, keep doing what he’s doing – learning, getting faster, getting stronger, scoring the goals.
“I think they’ll assess in the summertime because it might not be a loan he goes out on – he might be pushing for first-team place.
“That’s why we bring these under-23s in, it’s not just to loan them out, it’s to see whether they can cope with the demands and can they put any pressure on the first-team players that are out there as well?
“I think that’ll be assessed again, if they were desperate to get rid of him, they’d have put him out on loan but he’s more crucial to Leeds United being at Leeds.”
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