The Leeds United youngster enjoyed a brilliant start to his first-team football career.
Out-on-loan Leeds United defender Reuben Lopata-White was ‘buzzing’ to kick off his senior career with a clean sheet for Greenock Morton on Saturday.
Lopata-White joined Scottish Championship outfit Greenock Morton on deadline day earlier this month, his first move into professional men’s football. The 20-year-old had made 16 appearances for Leeds Under-21s so far this season, including in the EFL Trophy and National League Cup.
After a couple of weeks adjusting to his new surroundings, Lopata-White made his debut on Saturday as Greenock Morton drew 0-0 at home to Raith Rovers. The young Whites prospect got a full 90 minutes under his belt and contributed to keeping the opposition at bay.
“Buzzing really, I’m really happy to be here and have the chance to make my professional debut,” Lopata-White told TonTV. “It feels amazing. Clean sheet, good start to my loan and to football, I guess.
“Hopefully we can keep it going as a team and score a few goals as well. I couldn’t have asked for better really. All the lads are really nice, I get on with all of them. Helping me settle in really well. It was amazing, the fans were top.”
And on the match itself, he added: “I feel like we were better in the first-half, second-half a bit flat but we had a few chances, could have nicked it really. We both defended quite well but we were a bit better with the end product we could have got a goal.”
Leeds will have a keen eye on Lopata-White’s first steps into the senior game, with the young defender highly regarded around Thorp Arch having played regularly under Scott Gardner for the U21s. And it’s so far, so good, with Greenock Morton boss Ian Murray full of praise for his on-loan centre-back.
Greenock Morton boss full of praise for Leeds United loanee Lopata-White
"It was Reuben's pro debut and I was delighted for him,” Murray told the Edinburgh Evening News. “He moves very well, is good physically, with a good turn of speed. He's up here to learn to be more of a real defender, and hopefully we'll send him back to Leeds at the end of the season a better player.
“We're on a three game unbeaten run in the league and we want to build on it. We're leaving here happy enough. We've come on a lot in the last two to three weeks because anyone who saw us against Stenhousemuir, we looked like we were the League One side, and they were the ones in the Championship. That was really concerning me but the players have reacted.”
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Lopata-White will hope an impressive debut proves enough to keep his place in the starting line-up for the foreseeable future. Greenock Morton are back in action at home to Dunfermline Athletic on Tuesday evening before a trip to Queen’s Park next weekend.
The young defender is not the only Leeds academy prospect taking a first step into senior football, with Harry Gray also heading out on loan in January. The 17-year-old striker joined Rotherham United for the remainder of the season and has got off to a flying start.
After drawing a blank on his debut, Gray scored twice in as many games to help Rotherham - previously winless in 11 - enjoy back-to-back victories over Northampton Town and Exeter City. Those results have given the Millers a much more realistic chance of survival having previously looked doomed to drop.
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