By Sam Stone

16th Sep, 2022 | 12:00pm

View: Leeds United should take a punt on Sonny Perkins as he wins Premier League 2 award

Leeds United forward Sonny Perkins has picked up the PL2 Player of the Month award – and he could well be the next youth success story at Elland Road.

The former West Ham academy graduate has netted five goals in four matches for Leeds’ Under-21s side and his performances should put him in line for a first-team shot.

We have seen how trust in youth can be a good policy to go down, particularly at Elland Road where Gelhardt’s impact on Jesse Marsch’s first eleven is there for all to see.

Gelhardt was recruited from Wigan Athletic’s academy in 2020 and will prove to be one of the astutest pieces of business Leeds do over the coming years.

Perkins has been pinched from a far more successful academy set-up and has hit the ground running in a Leeds shirt, continuing on from his clinical form in West Ham’s youth system.

The 18-year-old scored 12 goals in PL2 last season and considering Marsch’s lack of striking options, he should seriously consider taking a punt on Perkins.

Perkins has made the move to Elland Road to be given more first-team chances compared to what he was offered at West Ham. Leeds have an excellent track record of providing chances and he could thrive if given the chance by the American.

The 18-year-old is an instinctive finisher, which can’t be learnt or taught to young players. It’s often a case of they either have it or they don’t.

With Brenden Aaronson creating opportunities from midfield and the likes of Jack Harrison delivering balls into the box, Perkins could be Leeds long-term answer to Patrick Bamford due to his burst of pace and calmness in front of goal.

In other Leeds United news, Leeds United were wrong to let Liam McCarron go.