Former Leeds United star Noel Whelan has backed young forward Kun Temenuzhkov to fight for a place in the Whites first-team next season, as preparations for the new season get underway.
The 19-year-old signed for Leeds from Catalan giants Barcelona in 2017, after impressing for the Spanish side as well as for the Bulgarian under-18 team.
The exciting forward has since been a regular for Carlos Corberan's under-23 side, who won the Premier League Professional Development League final last season.
Temenuzhkov was also given a chance to shine in Leeds' 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Queens Park Rangers last term, and it looks as if even more first-team opportunites could be set to come his way.
The Bulgarian youngster recently uploaded a picture to his Instagram page, where he was seen training alongside midfielder Adam Forshaw as the Whites begin their pre-season schedule.
And in response to the forward's upload, Whelan has backed him to fight for a place in Bielsa's side next season, saying to Football Insider: "I think he’ll be there or thereabouts. He had a game last season against QPR in the cup, highly rated, done very well with the under-23s, successful season and it’s nice to see him integrating now.
"They’ve given him a little taste of it last year, the club’s doing the right thing by bringing him into the first team training because that’s why we have an academy. We’re seeing the benefits of the players from last season in Jack Clarke, Jamie Shackleton – we’ve seen these players come through and do a fantastic job.
"It’s good to see that that’s happening, it’s going to be beneficial for his progression and his career and it will make him feel a little bit more part of that first team. It’s a great idea by the club, I’m really happy that they’re doing that."
Bielsa is yet to bring in a player thus far this summer, although it is believed that both Helder Costa and Jack Harrison will sign on loan from Wolves and Manchester City next week respectively.
Young star Jack Clarke is also believed to be on the brink of signing for Tottenhan Hotspur, so Kun will be looking to follow in his footsteps in the future.
The Verdict
I think that Temenuzhkov definitely deserves a chance to impress Bielsa in pre-season, as he looks to be a serious talent who could be very useful next season.
Leeds only really have Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford as their options up front, and if one of them gets injured again, then who do they call upon?
Ryan Edmondson is another very talented player, and after giving plenty of youngsters the chance to impress last term, it won't be surprising to see Temenuzhkov play a few games next season.