Noel Whelan has claimed that Leeds United ace Helder Costa is in danger of losing his place in the side, after failing to make the most of three consecutive starts.

The 25-year-old joined Leeds on a loan-to-buy deal from Wolves in the summer and has impressed so far, although he was forced to settle for a place on the bench in the Championship until recently.

The Portuguese winger appeared as a second-half substitute in Leeds' opening eight Championship matches, before an injury to Pablo Hernandez gave him the opportunity to make his first league start for the club.

The wideman has now started the last three matches for Leeds, but his performances have been inconsistent. He impressed in the 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at Elland Road, but he struggled to make an impact in the away defeats at Millwall and Charlton Athletic.

Former Leeds striker Whelan has claimed that Costa's performances in recent games have not been up to his usual standard and believes he is in danger of losing his place in the side to Hernandez after the two-week international break.

“Costa is skating on thin ice. He’s had one decent game and two poor ones. Away from home, he hasn’t turned up,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“It wasn’t the Helder Costa we have seen from the bench. He needs to think during the international break how he is going to make his game more consistent, and how he can shine away from home.

“If he doesn’t sort it out, he will quickly find himself back on the bench.

“After his performance against Millwall, I would expect Pablo Hernandez to come back into the team instead of him after the international break.”

Leeds made a very strong start to the Championship season but have struggled to maintain their consistency in recent weeks and have only managed to win one of their last four matches.

The Verdict

Costa is a fantastic player and if some of his early-season performances are anything to go by, he could turn out to be an excellent signing for Leeds this season. With that said, I actually agree with Whelan here though.

With Hernandez injured, Costa had a big opportunity to impress Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa, but he struggled to make an impact in the games against Charlton and Millwall.

Bielsa is a big fan of Hernandez and if the Spaniard is fit, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him reclaim his place in the side after the international break, with Costa dropping back to the bench.

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