Phil Hay has revealed that Marcelo Bielsa was never too keen on curtailing the season, with Leeds United now on course for a return to action later this month.

Leeds sit top of the Championship table and only nine games away from a Premier League return, but their season was brought to a standstill nearly three months ago and a ball hasn’t been kicked in the division since the first weekend of March.

It had been suggested that if the Championship season couldn’t finish Leeds and West Brom, who sit second, could’ve won promotion on a sporting merit.

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For Bielsa, though, he wasn’t keen on the idea of finishing the season early, as per Phil Hay’s latest Q&A with The Athletic: "Marcelo Bielsa will be particularly happy. He's never been keen on ending the season early and he'll be glad of the fact that his players were pushed very hard during the lockdown."

A provisional date of June 20th has been suggested as a return for the Championship, which could kick-start Leeds’ run-in.

Trips to Cardiff City and Swansea City await Leeds, alongside a mouth-watering clash with Fulham at Elland Road.

Currently, Fulham sit third in the table and hold the biggest threat to Leeds and West Brom in terms of the top-two.

Leeds are seven points clear of Fulham, whilst West Brom’s lead is six points.

The Verdict

Having watched Bielsa at Leeds over the course of the last two seasons, it is little surprise to learn that this was his stance on the resume of the campaign.

Bielsa will want to finish things properly, like his playing squad, with Leeds looking in good shape to rip in during the run-in.

He will have his players in tip-top shape and they might have an edge in that respect over their rivals.

Thoughts? Let us know!

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