Sky Sports pundit Danny Mills has brandished Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah a flop for failing to make his time on-loan with Leeds United beneficial for anyone.
Nketiah moved to Elland Road on Deadline Day in August as the Whites beat interest from Bristol City to secure the England U21 international’s services on a one-season deal.
United boss Marcelo Bielsa is yet to field the 22-year-old in any of his Championship starting line-ups, though, and Nketiah is now without a second-tier goal since striking a late equaliser away to Preston North End in October.
Reports have suggested that Arsenal may trigger their recall clause in January due to the London-born forward playing so few minutes at Elland Road, but the Gunners are no longer expected to take Nketiah back to the Emirates Stadium next month.
Former United right-back Mills is certain that Arsenal have to call time on Nketiah’s stint in West Yorkshire, however, and feels Bielsa ought to use his relationship with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to see if anyone is available to come in as the Gunners prospect’s replacement.
“Players in Man City reserves, Man City U23s, because I assume Nketiah will go back to Arsenal,” Mills told Football Insider. “It hasn’t worked out for Arsenal, hasn’t been beneficial for Arsenal or Nketiah, so you have to replace him.
“Bielsa will want someone who can come in and hit the ground running, so someone incredibly fit [and has a] fabulous work ethic. You’re not going to get a top striker, and Leeds won’t pay the money for that, in terms of wages, so you will have to go for someone younger.
“I’d be ringing Pep – he knows him very well – [and seeing] who [Leeds] can you get as [a] back-up? Who can you get from the U23s? Who can he [Bielsa] use, give experience to, give game time to?”
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Left-winger Jayden Braaf is Man City’s current leading scorer in the U23s fold with five goals in 11 appearances, per TransferMarkt data, while Nabil Touaizi has the most for a junior Sky Blues centre-forward with two in ten games.
Nketiah, on the other hand, had scored 28 times in 38 U23 appearances for Arsenal before his arrival at Elland Road, plus 15 in 16 U18 games and three in four UEFA U19 outings.
In other Leeds United news, a £10m Whites star’s recent comments sparked a lot of reactions on social media.