Leeds United got their pre-season underway on Saturday afternoon, playing Premier League rivals Manchester United at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm.
Leeds United’s pre-season is officially underway. Daniel Farke’s side have started gearing up for their return to the top flight and they took on Premier League veterans Manchester United in Sweden on Saturday, and in a very positive sign, the Whites more than held their own against Reuben Amorim’s side, as Farke played two teams in either half of the game.
And fans also got a look at all five of the new players to have arrived at Elland Road so far this summer: Lukas Nmecha, Jaka Bijol, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Gabriel Gudmundsson, and Sean Longstaff.
Longstaff only signed for Leeds United on Thursday, but he was there in Sweden to link up with his new teammates and play the second 45, with Leeds fans impressed with what they saw of Longstaff on his debut for the club.
Another name who Leeds United fans were impressed with was Wilfried Gnonto.
Leeds United fans impressed by Wilfried Gnonto’s performance vs Man United
Several players impressed on Saturday including Gnonto. The Italian had a difficult campaign last time round but was one of the better performers against Man United, with plenty of Leeds fans singing his praise on social media.
“Old Gnonto was back,” said one Leeds United fan after the game. “Was very impressed with Gnonto,” wrote another.
Other comments read: “I really liked what Gnonto was doing,” as another Leeds fan simply labelled the 21-year-old as “superb”.
A lengthier comment read: “Seeing Gnonto have time on the ball and not being heavily pressed by two defenders all the time shows him at his best. He will be massive for us next season.”
Can Wilfried Gnonto replace Manor Solomon at Leeds United?
Dan James recently signed a new contract with Leeds United and looks set to play on the left side of attack for the Whites for many more years to come. But the right side remains vacant after Manor Solomon‘s loan spell with the club came to an end.
Recently, Solomon was pictured in pre-season training with Spurs, suggesting that a permanent return to Leeds United is not yet imminent and potentially unlikely to happen in this summer’s transfer window.
Since then, Leeds United have been heavily linked with Igor Paixao at Feyenoord. It’s rumoured that Leeds are weighing up a £26m bid for Paixao, though even should he sign, Farke may want another player for the wings, and that’s where Gnonto might have his renaissance in the side.
Gnonto played 43 games in the Championship last season but only started 26. Though he remains a player with quality, and Leeds United fans saw his quality in the game against Manchester United on Saturday.
He looked his usual sprightly self on the right-hand side, and now playing in the Premier League where Leeds United are much more likely to have freedom going forward, with teams less likely to sit back, Gnonto could be one who benefits from the step up to the Premier League.
On top of that, Leeds United’s reported £150m transfer budget is slowly being chipped away, and should Paixao sign, then it might leave Farke with only £70m more to spend on signing a new goalkeeper for one, more attackers, and more players in general.
So Gnonto stepping up could save Leeds United a lot of money this summer, and it could also save Farke a headache on the right-hand side of attack going into next season.
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