Matt Kilgallon has told BBC Radio Leeds that he thought that Georginio Rutter was brilliant after coming on during Leeds United’s win over Southampton on Saturday.
Rutter has come in for a bit of criticism since arriving in the January transfer window. Unfortunately, he has become our record signing at a time when we desperately need players to step up and make a big impact now.
He had been less impressive in a couple of games. And there is no question that Leeds were much weaker when he came on for Patrick Bamford during the loss to Manchester United at Elland Road.
Kilgallon praises Rutter after cameo in Leeds win
That was not all down to Rutter. But we have certainly been reminded of the fact that the Frenchman is a work in progress who is going to need time.
However, there were much brighter signs on Saturday. Rutter came on for Brenden Aaronson with 15 minutes remaining against the Saints. And he went on to produce his best display yet.
He won a couple of tackles. And he held the ball up superbly at times. Certainly, Kilgallon felt that he deserved huge credit for stepping up when Leeds needed him.
“He was brilliant, he got the lads going,” he told BBC Radio Leeds. “He was getting the crowd geed up, he did everything right, he ran in behind. He ran back and made some tackles. Remember, there’s a new manager in, you’re on trial. You’ve got to show, he wants to play the next game.
“He came on and went: ‘you know what, I need to show him’. And he did. He made a big difference when he came on.”
Promising signs for the future
Of course, it is reasonable to hope for more from our record signing. But Rutter had absolutely no say in the fee which brought him to Elland Road.
It probably was not the best time to invest in a forward who is some way off being the finished article. But all we can hope that is that the move proves to be a masterstroke in the years to come.
Certainly, if his cameo against Southampton is a sign of what is to come, the deal definitely has the potential to be an amazing piece of business from Leeds.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
