Marcelo Bielsa finally offered Izzy Brown a spot on the bench against Middlesbrough as the crocked ace neared a full return to fitness, but that has meant Leeds United are now responsible for some of his wage, per the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Phil Hay.
When Brown joined United in the summer, the midfielder was still carrying the effects of a cruciate ligament rupture, so he could not hit the ground running in West Yorkshire as the alternative option to Samuel Saiz as initially hoped.
Further blows with niggling leftovers and hamstring concerns meant that the Premier League side were still footing the entire bill for the 22-year-old’s wage, as it was agreed in the season-long loan deal that the Whites would not have to pay anything until he could play.
they were due to pay nothing until he was in first-team contention. He was on the bench at Boro (and has been fully fit for a good few weeks now).
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) February 20, 2019
As Bielsa has now included the midfielder in a matchday squad (twice), Hay has claimed that Chelsea have taken that as an indication that he can feature for the Whites, so Leeds should honour their end of the bargain.
Hay added that the Blues pushed for the agreement to come into force once Brown was in contention to play, rather than actually featuring, as they would not allow a situation to pass where they footed the bill simply because Bielsa was not using their man.
when he was in first-team contention. Chelsea weren’t going to allow a situation where he’s on the bench but Leeds are paying nothing simply because Bielsa isn’t using him. That’s Bielsa’s call.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) February 20, 2019
Noting that Brown is fully fit, and has been for a few weeks now, is also a great indicator that the crocked star will finally make his United debut against Bolton in the absence of Kemar Roofe.