Matt Kilgallon has praised Weston McKennie after his performance in Leeds United’s draw with Newcastle on Saturday.
Kilgallon was speaking to BBC Radio Leeds after the Whites scored a late equaliser to earn a point on another dramatic day at Elland Road.
Sam Allardyce raised a lot of eyebrows with his team selection ahead of the game. Marc Roca dropped down to the bench, while it appeared that either Max Wober or Robin Koch would join Weston McKennie and Sam Greenwood in midfield.
Weston McKennie impressive in Leeds draw
McKennie has been a really poor signing since his arrival in January. He has produced a couple of outstanding displays. But for much of his time with the club, he has looked like a passenger. He has certainly offered very little since Tyler Adams sustained the injury which will rule him out for the season.
Once again, the USMNT international did not have the best first-half. However, he seemed to improve considerably as the game went on. And he had an opportunity to score from the edge of the area.
Kilgallon suggested that McKennie had one of his better games, and he credited Allardyce for the tactical change which helped get the best out of him.
“When he’s been playing for Leeds, he’s sat in almost. Maybe for Juventus, I think they were the runs he was doing, that he was doing in the second-half. He made five or six lung busting runs into the box. And it’s good to see that,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.
“Maybe that’s what Sam was thinking by putting Koch in there, and Forshaw. ‘We’ll sit and we’ll mop things up’, and give him a bit more freedom.”
It is almost baffling that Javi Gracia persisted with a pairing of McKennie and Roca for so long. They were superb in the win over Nottingham Forest. But they left the defence exposed too often in almost every other game.
There seemed to be better signs with Robin Koch and Adam Forshaw in the team. And McKennie definitely had one of his better games.
Mind you, we are the point where good performances do not really matter. If McKennie is dreadful for the final two games, but fires one into the top corner from 35 yards to keep us up, many will be much more positive about his spell at Leeds.