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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Malik Ouzia

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa on Arsenal loanee Eddie Nketiah: 'The person who most wants him to succeed is me'

Nketiah sent a message to club boss Bielsa with a hat-trick on international duty (Picture: Getty Images)

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa says he will take the blame if Eddie Nketiah’s loan spell from Arsenal is not a success, but insists he wants the youngster to do well more than anyone.

Nketiah was loaned out to Elland Road this summer in search of more regular playing time to continue his development.

However, despite scoring four times in nine appearances in all competitions, the 20-year-old is yet to start a Championship game, with Bielsa sticking by Patrick Bamford.

After scoring a hat-trick on international duty with the England U21s this week, Nketiah said he felt he had ‘done everything’ he could to warrant a start, and with speculation mounting that he called be recalled and loaned elsewhere in January, Bielsa addressed the issue on Friday.

"For me it is very important that Eddie has a good spell at Leeds,” Bielsa said.

"If Nketiah doesn't do well here in Leeds, the responsibility is going to be mine. That will be fair because Nketiah is a player full of results and as coach, I have to know how to manage all this skill to improve the team.

"The person who most wants Nketiah to have success at Leeds is me, but also I value Bamford, I value him a lot."

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