View: Sonny Perkins due Premier League shot for Leeds United
Leeds United boast an impressive under-21s side with a number of highly rated talents who are ready to make an impact on Jesse Marsch’s first team.
Willy Gnonto, Sam Greenwood, Joe Gelhardt and Crysencio Summerville have all been given Premier League chances so far in the 2022/23 season. However, there are two players who are still eagerly awaiting their first taste of Premier League football at Elland Road.
Sonny Perkins and Mateo Joseph have scored 21 goals between them in the under-21 set-up at Elland Road so far this season. The attacking duo were handed a start in Leeds’ League Cup clash against Wolves and caught the eye for the Yorkshire side.
Perkins, 18, has an elegance and confidence about him. He’s more than comfortable picking up the ball in tight spaces and using his excellent first touch to bring others into the equation. He barely lost the ball against Wolves and is certainly not just an out-and-out striker, whose sole purpose is to just find the back of the net.
As per Whoscored, Perkins only lost control of the ball once during his 72-minute stint on the pitch. Furthermore, the youngster managed to amass two key passes and one successful dribble. The was a composure about Perkins at Molineux and this was also displayed by his 80 per cent pass completion. Marsch certainly has a creative centre forward on his hands.
Joseph was also a big positive for Leeds United to take out of the defeat. He was the player looking to get on the end of the good creative work from Perkins. He managed three shots, two key passes and one dribble during the 90 minutes and was always looking to be positive.
The 19-year-old was always looking to make off-the-ball runs, despite not always receiving the ball. He missed an opportunity in the second half but was not deterred and continued to be a thorn in Wolves’ side.
Considering Patrick Bamford’s poor form of late, Marsch could well throw Perkins into his plans a little more often after his League Cup display.
In other Football Wonderkids news, Lewis Dobbin has struggled to hit the sort of form which was expected of him