Neil Redfearn has praised Georginio Rutter following his performance in Leeds United’s Carabao Cup defeat to Salford City on Tuesday, but admitted that he thought that his finishing was not good enough.
Redfearn was speaking to BBC Radio Leeds after Daniel Farke’s side were knocked out of the competition by lower league opposition.
Georginio Rutter was one of those who missed his penalty during the shootout. And it is fair to say that Frenchman’s attempt was the worst of the lot.
It was a disappointing night for Leeds, who would have hoped to build some momentum after the weekend’s win over Ipswich Town. But the statistics were encouraging.
Redfearn praises Rutter despite Leeds’ cup exit
Leeds were dominant across the board, apart from the most crucial statistic of all. And Rutter was one of the most wasteful of anyone in front of goal.
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As shown by Whoscored, only Crysencio Summerville had more attempts on goal than the six the former Hoffenheim starlet managed.
He was unlucky at times, with Alex Cairns making a remarkable late save to deny Rutter. But you could understand why some Leeds fans may be worried that Rutter may have taken a step backwards after his brilliant goal at the weekend.
Redfearn suggested that he was underwhelming in front of goal. However, he was also full of praise for Rutter’s overall performance on the night.
“To be fair to Rutter, he played well tonight, other than his finishing,” he told BBC Radio Leeds. “His finishing was poor, there’s no two ways about it. You can’t just describe it in any other way. If you’re a striker, that’s your bread and butter. But I would say that when he’s got Piroe up there with him, he obviously looks a different player.
“He was good tonight, I thought he was really good,” he went on to add. “His hold-up play, first-half I thought he was excellent, to be honest with you.
“But what Daniel Farke’s got to do is just keep encouraging him. The time to start worrying is when you don’t get them chances, and you’re not looking like scoring. The kid could have had eight, nine goals tonight, easily.”
It was a bit of a wake-up call for Leeds. It was hard to not get a little carried away after all of the front four scored against Ipswich at the weekend. And the hope would have been that Salford would be on the receiving end of a thrashing yesterday.
But there is still work to be done. And Rutter encapsulates that. The talent is evident. But he is far from being the finished article at this stage.
As Redfearn said though, there is still plenty to like about him.