Former Leeds United boss Neil Redfearn believes that Steven Fletcher targeted Matthew Pennington during the Whites’ 3-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.
The 23-year-old started alongside Pontus Jansson in the heart of Leeds’ defence at Hillsborough, with regular centre-back Liam Cooper missing the game through suspension.
It was Pennington’s third outing for Leeds, the club he joined on a season-long loan deal from Everton in the summer.
The defender started in Leeds’ first game of the season against Bolton Wanderers before coming on as a substitute after Cooper received his marching orders against Cardiff City last month.
And Redfearn, who insisted that Fletcher thoroughly relished the prospect of going up against Pennington, went on to add that fellow Leeds centre-back Jansson has also looked off-colour in recent games.
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“I looked at Fletcher and he was rubbing his hands because he had a young lad at centre-half”, Redfearn said on Radio Yorkshire.
“And he'd got Jansson who, for whatever reason it hasn't quite happened the last couple of games.
“He won more or less every header, to the point where he was dropping balls off into peoples' paths.”
Pennington, whose present contract with Everton is set to expire next summer, has previously had loan spells at Tranmere Rovers, Coventry City and Walsall.
