Jermaine Beckford has shared on BBC Radio Leeds his verdict of the debut display of Georginio Rutter after he started for Leeds United in their FA Cup win against Accrington Stanley.
Rutter was handed his chance by Jesse Marsch after being left as an unused substitute for the goalless draw with Brentford last weekend.
The club-record signing led the line alongside Patrick Bamford. And he played his part as the Whites won 3-1 to book their ticket to the fifth round of the competition.
Beckford reacts to Rutter debut in Leeds win
The Frenchman did not score for the visitors at the Wham Stadium. But he showed some really encouraging signs, linking up well at times. And he certainly showed glimpses which highlight why Leeds broke their club-record to bring him to Elland Road earlier this month.
Of course, one striker who knows what it takes to be a success at Leeds is Beckford. And after the victory over the League One side, Beckford shared exactly what he made of the youngster’s debut.
“There’s lot of things about his game I quite enjoy. He’s got a lovely first touch. He’s very quick, he’s deceptively quick. And that’s something I think we can use to our abilities really well, if we use it in the right way,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.
“So I think we’ve got to get the ball out to him very quickly, leave him isolated, leave him one v one versus the defenders, and let him go at it. But it’s still very early days.
“There were a couple of moments, instances where it looked like he gave up on the ball a little bit too easily. But then you see his reaction after that. And it was really sharp, really quick.”
We do now have the depth which will allow Marsch to take his time with Rutter.
Rodrigo has been outstanding in front of goal this season. Patrick Bamford looks to be edging closer and closer to being fully fit again. And of course, the likes of Jack Harrison, Willy Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville have all shone at various stages in the campaign.
Obviously, he has arrived for big money. And Leeds are in the battle to stay in the Premier League. So it is imperative that he does make some sort of impact over the coming months.
But the signs are that he could be able to make that impact. The very, very early indications are that Rutter is a real talent.
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