Leeds United: Adryan still has Whites future - Redfearn

Leeds United head coach Neil Redfearn has promised Brazilian playmaker Adryan that he is “absolutely certain” of another run in the team despite falling out of favour in the past three weeks.
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Adryan

Redfearn described the 20-year-old as an “immense talent” and said his recent exclusion from United’s squad was not an indication of doubt about Adryan’s ability to thrive at Elland Road.

Adryan has missed the club’s last three league games, including Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Championship leaders Bournemouth, and he last appeared in a matchday squad during their FA Cup tie at Sunderland on January 4.

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Leeds owner Massimo Cellino saw Adryan as a key signing in the summer transfer window, securing him on a season-long loan from Brazilian side Flamengo after several weeks of negotiations.

The move involved the termination of an existing loan deal at Serie A club Cagliari and Cellino negotiated a clause allowing United to sign the midfielder on a permanent basis for around £3m at the end of this term.

Adryan admitted last month that he wanted a full-time move to Leeds, saying he was “happy here and I like the football”, but promising periods of form have been interspersed with absences from United’s side.

Redfearn said: “He’s like a few of the foreign lads. They’ve come here and discovered a different sort of football and they’ve found the Championship quite tough.

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“Adryan ran out of steam a little bit, he wasn’t quite on it, and I wanted him to come out of the team, have a breather and show a bit more in training. That doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s an immense talent because he is. He’s got masses of talent.

“But we’ve been under a bit of pressure recently and the priority has been getting the team right, not worrying about individuals. He’ll come back into the picture before long, that’s absolutely certain.”

United’s impressive win over Bournemouth was their first for nine games and the result increased the gap between the club and the Championship’s relegation places to six points.

Leeds relied heavily on their summer imports during the first half of the season but Tuesday’s team featured four academy products and included Luke Murphy, Steve Morison and Rodolph Austin.

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Goalkeeper Marco Silvestri and defender Giuseppe Bellusci were the only foreign members of their starting line-up.

Rio-born Adryan has played 12 times for Leeds since joining from Flamengo but Redfearn said he was reluctant to demand too much of the youngster during his first season in English football .

“He is only 20,” Redfearn said. “That doesn’t mean he can’t make an impact but it’s easy to get carried away with the idea that he’s a Brazilian playmaker who should be blowing teams away.

“To be fair to him, he needs a proper chance. The boy deserves that. By a proper chance I don’t mean just throwing him in every week. I mean giving him a long period – into next season, really – to settle in. He’s young and he’s a long way from home.

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“I honestly think that given time he’ll be a big player for this club in the future. But he actually needs that time.”

United will look for a more immediate impact from Sol Bamba after the defender became their first January signing on Friday.

Bamba – an ex-Leicester City centre-back – has joined Leeds on a half-season loan with a view to a permanent deal.

With Saturday’s game at Huddersfield Town approaching, United should confirm the addition of French midfielder Granddi Ngoyi – a team-mate of Bamba’s at Palermo – on loan for the rest of the season today, and sources in Italy believe Catania striker Edgar Cani is also heading Leeds. Cani was left out of Catania’s Serie B game against Pro Vercelli on Friday with a move from Sicily seemingly pending.