It’s rarely helpful to a youngster if they are compared with a legend of the game, but it also shows that they are extremely highly rated.
Joe Gelhardt has yet to make his debut for Leeds after moving from Wigan Athletic last summer, but a report from Football Insider has indicated that it’s not far away.
They point to comparisons with Man United and England legend Wayne Rooney that were made by his teammate Patrick Bamford, and it also sounds like former player Noel Whelan is a big fan of the striker too:
“He reminds me – I don’t want to say the same level as Rooney – but he is the same kind of build as Rooney was. A stocky lad, great finisher.”
Perhaps those comparisons do raise expectations higher than they need to be, but he is edging closer to his first team debut after banging the goals in on a regular basis for the U23 side this season.
He’s been on the bench for the past few games so it’s clear that Bielsa rates him, so hopefully he’s able to make it onto the pitch soon to see how he fares at the highest level.