Noel Whelan is baffled by why Leeds United striker Jay-Roy Grot appears to be lacking key basic skills which he should have developed.

Grot, for whom Leeds paid an initial £750,000 to sign in the summer from Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, came off the bench in the 81st minute of the Whites' 1-0 win over Norwich City on Saturday.




The Dutchman has struggled to win Whelan over with his displays since joining Leeds and again the former Whites forward was unimpressed with what the youngster served up.

And he thinks Grot does not have the excuse of his age to use as younger players have more developed games and the Dutchman should already have certain skils he is not showing.
 


"Yes he's young, yes he is 19, but the basics have got to be done better", Whelan said on BBC Radio Leeds.

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"You should be a little bit more complete as a player at 19, you should have the basics there, you should be able to hold the ball up using your body; a little bit better than he does because he's got a great frame.

"Is it a confidence thing? Or is he just not good enough at the moment?

"Well he obviously isn't good enough at the moment and I do think we need more attacking options and a better class of player right now, that we need to come on and be a little bit more consistent and [who] you can trust.

"At 19, even 18, 17, you see young guys coming through – you know the young guy at Sheffield United [David Brooks] who scored the second goal [in the Blades’ 2-1 win at Leeds], his movement, his finish, holding the ball, his thought behind what he's doing.

"There doesn't seem to be much thought about his [Grot’s] game. It's just 'I'll run forward, I'll get the ball, I'll try and run past somebody, but I'll lose it'.

"He's not using his body, he's not thinking about the team and bringing other people into play and then his second movement once he's released the ball – all these little details that should be there as you get older and go through the stages and ages of your football career and learning don't seem to be there at the moment.

"I can't figure why it's not", Whelan admitted.

Grot, who is due to turn 20 years old in March next year, has been handed his fair share of playing time by Leeds head coach Thomas Christiansen since his arrival, with 13 appearances across all competitions to his name.

He cannot move to another club in next month's transfer window as he made one appearance for NEC before his move to England; FIFA rules prohibit playing for three clubs in a single season.