Leeds United player Willy Gnonto.
Willy Gnonto has found himself glued to the bench at Leeds United for the majority of their Premier League campaign so far.
Given how feel the Whites have performed so far this season, there has been little incentive for Daniel Farke to fix what is clearly not broken, with Leeds sitting out of the bottom three in late February, a position any Leeds fan would have happily taken before the season started.
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Farke’s switch to deploying a 3-5-2 formation has seemingly frozen out players such as Gnonto, with the Italian struggling to nail down a place in the new system.
A former Leeds United player recently shared his thoughts on the Italian winger and the current lack of gametime he is receiving.
Alan Smith shares honest Willy Gnonto verdict
Gnonto is not the only player to see his gametime be reduced so far this campaign, with Ao Tanaka also struggling to establish himself in the starting XI.
Former Leeds star Smith shared his thoughts on the current situation that Gnonto finds himself in during a recent interview with The Yorkshire Post.
“It’s a bit of a strange one, isn’t it?” Smith said.
“He’s still so young as well, I think everybody wants everything yesterday, don’t they? I think he’s a good asset to have.
“It will all boil down to him being able to come off the bench and influence the game, have an impact when he comes on, because I feel like when he comes on, you’re always expecting him to produce something.
“I feel like he’s probably one that’s kind of a bit of an enigma, in terms of what he provides now and again. I’m not a big stats person, but if you looked at it, the manager would probably want more realistically.
Smith continued: “I think that the team, as it is now, if you’re playing three at the back, it’s kind of difficult.
“You can’t really play him on the left, because (Gabriel) Gudmundsson is playing left wing-back.
“(Jayden) Bogle or James Justin on the right, realistically, then you’ll have your midfield three of whoever that is, and then you’d go probably either (Lukas) Nmecha or (Dominic) Calvert-Lewin and (Brenden) Aaronson. It would be difficult to play him in one of those spots, because then you’ve also got (Noah) Okafor to come on.
“We have a few who are similar, (Facundo) Buonanotte, who we’ve signed now, so you’ve got two or three who can do that role.”
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Willy Gnonto could leave Leeds in the summer
Given how little the 22-year-old has featured this season, it would be hard to begrudge Gnonto if he wanted to force a move out of Leeds during the summer transfer window.
Willy Gnonto – Premier League Stats (This Season)
Stat Value
Appearances 14
Starts 4
Minutes per game 28
Total minutes 360
Goals 0
Assists 1
Big chances created 1
(Sofascore)
Gnonto was handed a rare start in Leeds’ most recent FA Cup match with Birmingham, but he, alongside many other fringe players, failed to impact the game, as the Championship outfit proved to be the better side for the vast majority of the game before Leeds squeaked past them on penalties.
The Italian’s performance will have given Farke even more reason to use Gnonto sparingly off the bench when United are chasing a game, and whilst he is a valuable asset to have for this reason, as Smith rightly said, it will only be a matter of time before Gnonto demands regular first-team football or seeks it away from Elland Road.
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