“Been a problem” – Sky pundit says Farke might simply not want Leeds gem

Leeds United are in a promising position as they continue their promotion charge; however, one man has landed himself in a difficult situation at Elland Road following latest developments, according to former Whites goalkeeper turned Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson.

Leeds United look ahead to Ipswich Town…

Last weekend, Leeds and Coventry shared the spoils in a lively 1-1 draw at Elland Road, where Crysencio Summerville’s opener was cancelled out by a Bobby Thomas reply, leaving Daniel Farke’s men third in the Championship table on goal difference.

One of the main flashpoints during the match occurred at full-time, where Whites goalscorer Summerville refused to shake hands with Thomas, something which led to unsavoury scenes involving players on both sides before they were eventually separated.

It is understandable to see passion spill over from both sides given the importance of points at stake every passing week; nevertheless, attention at Leeds will now be geared toward this weekend, where high-flying Ipswich Town make the trip to Elland Road in a crunch encounter between two of the league’s most entertaining sides to watch this term.

The Tractor Boys sit ten points in front of their opponents heading into Saturday’s clash; however, Kieran McKenna’s men will be frustrated after their draw with rivals Norwich City at Portman Road. Narrowing the margin down to seven points would drastically improve the Whites’ chances of claiming automatic promotion this term, but one Leeds player may be taking no part in the race for the top two spots.

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Paul Robinson drops Leo Hjelde verdict

Earlier this month, journalist Phil Hay indicated that Leeds United defender Leo Hjelde had been demoted to Farke’s Under-21 squad despite defensive absences at the club in recent times.

In total, the Norwegian youngster, who was previously labelled “fantastic” by his former Ross County manager John Hughes, has featured just three times for his current employers in all competitions this term and is firmly on the periphery despite injuries to the likes of Sam Byram and Junior Firpo (Hjelde statistics – Transfermarkt).

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, Robinson has given his latest assessment of Hjelde’s standing at the Whites and has indicated that his situation is a “difficult” one to quantify, as he stated to the outlet: “It’s a difficult one to say. You don’t know what the manager wants, what his plans for the future are for him. He’s still very young, and he might just see him as a player who’s not quite ready to play at the level he wants to yet, or whether he doesn’t want him. We don’t know, that’s down to the manager’s opinion.

“It has been a problem area. A lot of the time Pascal Struijk played there as well, and now he’s a mainstay at the centre if defence and he’s the captain, and playing particularly well there, so that’s another option that he’s lost. But as far as Hjelde goes you don’t know what the manager’s thinking. The fact that he’s not in and around the first team would suggest that the manager doesn’t think he’s ready yet.”

Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Hjelde at Elland Road as his chances of making a sustained senior breakthrough continue to hang in the balance.