Marcelo Bielsa has acknowledged Leeds United youngster Ryan Edmondson as a player potentially suitable for the step up to senior football this season.

Ryan Edmondson has shown tremendous goalscoring form for the youth teams at Elland Road, all the way up to the under-23 team where he is leading the line with great physicality and finishing prowess.

His goals last season helped fire the Whites’ under-23s to victory in the National Professional Development League, scoring 17 in the league. His goalscoring exploits have led to many wondering what he has to do to get a run-out int he first-team, especially given the problems Leeds have in front of goal and the faith shown in other youngsters throughout Marcelo Bielsa’s tenure.

Edmondson’s form has continued this term and has lead to more calls for his inclusion in the first team as Patrick Bamford struggles to convert chances each week to the rate that his rivals at other sides can.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to QPR, Bielsa spoke at length about a number of topics and one was the question of where Edmondson’s chance will come from and the dynamic of him making his way into the first-team.

He stated (as quoted by Phil Hay of the Athletic): "Thirty-five players are working with us and we look at every one. After that I choose who I think are the best players. Maybe Edmondson is the best goalscorer on the team, he should play instead of Bamford and I'm wrong." 

The Argentine also added that he has not considered the possibility of sending out the young striker on loan this month.

At present, Edmondson has made two first-team appearances, with one apiece coming under Paul Heckingbottom and Bielsa, both as second-half substitutes in which he didn’t score.

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The verdict

It does appear that if Edmondson was a player that Bielsa was dead-set on blooding into the first-team, he would have already made a number of appearances in the league rather than just one for Bielsa.

There have been multiple young players that have made their debut under the Argentine, with Robbie Gotts being the most recent academy graduate to come into the side.

Edmondson has undoubted potential and will be a useful asset for Leeds going forward, but there is no need to rush him into the side at the minute given that he is only 18-years-old.