Jesse Marsch praises Georginio Rutter as 'most two-footed' player he has seen as he reveals fresh Leeds United injury concern

LEEDS UNITED head coach Jesse Marsch has paid a compliment to record signing Georginio Rutter and says he is possibly the most two-footed player he has ever seen.
By Leon Wobschall
Published 17th Jan 2023, 13:05 BST

The Frenchman, 20, has joined the club on a five-and-a-half year deal for a fee rising to £36m, having scored 11 goals in 64 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim after joining from Rennes in 2021.

Rutter has become Leeds' second signing of the window after RB Salzburg captain Max Wober arrived for around £10m. He is ineligible to play in Wednesday's FA Cup third-round replay with Cardiff but could make his Premier League debut against Brentford on Sunday.

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"I have known him for a while and he was someone I watched at Leipzig. He's a guy who I think is an explosive, talented footballer and a player with a lot of potential. We have done our homework and found out relatively quickly what a good person he is and what a hard worker he is and how much he wants to try and achieve for himself,” said Marsch.

SINSHEIM, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 12: Georginio Rutter of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is tackled by Paulo Otavio of VfL Wolfsburg during the Bundesliga match between TSG Hoffenheim and VfL Wolfsburg at PreZero-Arena on November 12, 2022 in Sinsheim, Germany. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)SINSHEIM, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 12: Georginio Rutter of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is tackled by Paulo Otavio of VfL Wolfsburg during the Bundesliga match between TSG Hoffenheim and VfL Wolfsburg at PreZero-Arena on November 12, 2022 in Sinsheim, Germany. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)
SINSHEIM, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 12: Georginio Rutter of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is tackled by Paulo Otavio of VfL Wolfsburg during the Bundesliga match between TSG Hoffenheim and VfL Wolfsburg at PreZero-Arena on November 12, 2022 in Sinsheim, Germany. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)

"And when you coach players in Germany, who have been in Germany, there's a really high level of tactical education. I've had really intelligent football conversations with him and one that gives me hope he can integrate quickly.

"He has flexibility. When you look at most players, they are right or left foot dominated. Georginio is 50-50, maybe the most two-footed I have ever seen. He can play as a striker, wide player or second striker."

Liam Cooper is a big doubt for Wednesday's game, but Luis Sinisterra could feature after recovering from injury.

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Marsch added: "Adam (Forshaw), Cree (Crysencio Summerville), Stuart (Dallas) and Archie (Gray) are out. The other one who is very questionable/doubtful is Coops. In the warm-up yesterday, he sustained a little bit of a strained knee. We'll see. It will probably be a decision for tomorrow, but I would guess it would be a little bit different for him.

"Luis Sinisterra trained yesterday and has the potential to be in the squad. We will evaluate that today and see what the possibilities are. But he looks fantastic and we are excited to have back."