Sky Sports pundit David Prutton has suggested that the return of Tyler Roberts to full fitness has helped to offer an extra dimension for the Whites, and that he offers Marcelo Bielsa the vital option to change things.

Roberts has endured a frustrating campaign in terms of the injuries he has picked up throughout the season, which have seen him limited to just 14 Championship appearances, and Leeds have at times missed his presence in providing competition for places with Patrick Bamford up front.

The 21-year-old, though, has returned to action from the bench in the last few weeks, coming on for Bamford against Hull City and scoring twice to help complete the Whites’ 4-0 win, while he also came on against Huddersfield last time out and helped them see out their 2-0 victory.

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Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Prutton suggested that Roberts’ versatility of being able to play up front, in the number ten position or out wide, makes him an invaluable option for Bielsa to call upon during the end of season run in.

He said: "Tyler appears to have slightly more versatility to him than perhaps Patrick does.

"In working his way back to full fitness after injury and coming on to score two goals, he can't have done much more to get a starting berth.
"But it's good for Leeds to know they have got that in reserve on the bench.
"We know how imperative these last nine games are going to be and the squad appear to be in a good position.
"They have worked their way from what was seen as a perceived blip with questions being asked of them to answer them emphatically and they look in rude health."

The verdict

It is hard to argue with Prutton here, with Roberts having played a vital role for Leeds during the last two matches from the bench, which is something the Whites have lacked at times when the 21-year-old has been absent at various stages of the campaign through injury.

Roberts, though, appears to be heading into the final weeks of the season in very good health physically and the fact that he has missed a lot of games this term, could make him a really fresh option to call upon, which will be essential in ensuring Leeds to run out of steam as they did in the closing weeks last term.

The 21-year-old’s return has come at an ideal time for the Whites, especially considering that Jean-Kevin Augustin has been suffering with a hamstring injury, which means that Bielsa will be relying on the forward to provide the back up to Bamford.

The forward, as Prutton says, offers plenty of versatility to Bielsa tactically from the bench or from the start, which is crucial for Leeds in terms of their ability to give opposing teams something to think about, which they perhaps did not have when they were struggling for form a few weeks ago.