Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa has revealed that Whites midfielder Izzy Brown is not yet ready to make the matchday squad ahead of the meeting with Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
Brown, who joined Leeds from Chelsea on a season-long deal in the summer, has yet to make a first appearance under Bielsa due to his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The midfielder returned to action for the first time since the injury during Leeds Under-23s defeat to Birmingham City last month and clocked the full 90 minutes for the first time last Tuesday, when the young Whites won against Burnley.
Despite scoring a goal during the 6-3 win over Burnley on Tuesday, Bielsa says that Brown is not yet ready and fit enough to make the matchday squad ahead of the Whites’ trip to Bolton on Saturday.
The Argentine tactician also added that Brown must work on his intensity and strength before being able to feature in the first team for the first time since his arrival in the summer.
“I don’t think he’s ready for the bench”, Bielsa told reporters in a press conference.
“Every time he plays he makes positive steps to being inside the group.
"He has a great weight, he is well, he is fit.
“He absorbs the volume of a game without any problems.
"He needs to work on his intensity and strength, but that’s normal because of how little he’s played.
“The sudden movements he can make, when he sprints, when he stops, the switch of direction, the short sprints, these are the elements that are needed for a player with a technique like Izzy Brown.
“You need to have a certain level of performance to impose your technical skills.
"He’s working on these small details.”
Bielsa confirmed that Patrick Bamford is fit and ready to play a part against Bolton, for the first time since September, after netting a hat-trick for the Under-23s during the win over Burnley on Tuesday.
