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Oliver Jones

Leeds United news with 'fantastic' verdict on Marcelo Bielsa potential Premier League return

Here are your Leeds United morning headlines on Saturday, November 12.

Bielsa backed for Bournemouth

Former Premier League striker and talkSPORT pundit Hal Robson-Kanu has said that Marcelo Bielsa's return to the English top-flight would be 'fantastic' after reports of him being set to replace Scott Parker at Bournemouth.

Parker was sacked just four games into the season after the Cherries lost 9-0 to Liverpool and Gary O'Neil has been the interim since then.

However, recent reports suggest that the former Leeds United boss could make a return to the Premier League after being linked to numerous jobs in his home country of Argentina.

READ MORE: Predicted Leeds United line-up vs Tottenham as fresh injury doubt may seal the deal for Marsch

Speaking on talkSPORT, Robson-Kanu praised Bielsa for his style during his reign at Elland Road and highlighted how he could turn Bournemouth's season around as they currently sit 17th - just one point over the relegation zone.

"I think it'd be a fantastic opportunity for both the club and the manager if Bielsa goes there. I played against Leeds multiple times under Bielsa's reign and the intensity that they played during his tenure was phenomenal.

"It does take a little bit of adaptation - you speak to the players and training is very, very intense but in terms of the output on the pitch, he took a group of players who were mid-table in the Championship to competing at a Premier League level.

"So him going into a Bournemouth team where the expectation is... 'Can we stay in the league?', I think he can turn them into a stable Premier League side.

"When you look at that second season at Leeds, there were a lot of elements at play but in terms of a spark, affecting the direction of the club, I think Bournemouth have invested to a degree but the players they've got there, a good group of players, [if they're steered in the right direction] they'll be a good Premier League team."

Leeds could unleash their newest weapon

One change? Who will it be?

Jack Harrison was rated as questionable by Jesse Marsch in his pre-match press conference, so we will wait and see whether the Leeds United winger is fit in the first place. If he doesn’t make it then the change becomes more straightforward for the head coach, but if Harrison’s fit there is a minor dilemma.

The first-team regular has seen a dip in his impact on matches in recent weeks, while Wilfried Gnonto has turned heads from the bench in the last two Premier League matches. Sam Greenwood was also shoehorned into an answer to a Gnonto question by Marsch, which shows how his head is thinking before this one.

Read the full story here.

World Cup plans revealed

Leeds United’s plans for the World Cup break are coming together with Jesse Marsch confirming the club’s intentions following Saturday’s Premier League outing. The Whites travel to Tottenham Hotspur this weekend as the top flight grinds to a halt while the tournament in Qatar takes centre stage.

United will have almost seven weeks to wait until their next competitive fixture against Manchester City at Elland Road on December 28, but it seems they have plenty planned over the lay-off. A friendly against Spanish side Real Sociedad has been organised before Christmas and a warm weather training camp has been mooted, too.

The squad will be given time to recover from the opening 14 Premier League games, though, with Marsch keen to see his players rest up and recuperate for a week following the clash in north London.

“They will all have a week off then we give them a physical programme for another week to do on their own,” Marsch said. “So they will have two weeks off but the first week they do absolutely nothing.

“Then we come back in on the 28th here and we do testing. We have a good plan and I think we have some good opponents and then we'll have most of the team together which is a positive.”

Read the full story here.

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