Blackpool boss Michael Appleton has heaped praise on Leeds United loanee Ian Poveda following his impressive first start in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town.
The 22-year-old joined the Tangerines from Leeds on loan during the final week of the transfer window and marked his debut with a 10-minute cameo against his former club Blackburn Rovers.
Appleton admits he was concerned by Poveda's lack of match fitness but was impressed by his influential display on his full Blackpool debut at the John Smith’s Stadium.
“He was very good,” Appleton told the Blackpool Gazette. “He’s not had much football, so we were a little bit worried about that and we were thinking he might be better as an impact sub.
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“Because we changed the shape a little bit we thought it might help him and it seemed to work. A lot of big moments came down to him.”
Poveda’s career has been very stop-start after an accomplished youth career with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester City respectively.
The former England international of Colombian descent joined Leeds on a four-and-a-half year contract in January 2020. He featured sporadically for the Whites during his first 18 months at Elland Road and played a handful of times for the U21s.
He joined Blackburn on a season-long loan at the start of the previous campaign and impressed with his early performances. He registered a goal and an assist in Blackburn’s 3-1 win over Sheffield United in November 2021.. But unfortunately he sustained a fracture and ligament damage to his left ankle in the following game at Bristol City.
Poveda spent five months on the sidelines and only returned to play twice more from the bench during the closing stages of the season. The winger has the prime opportunity to get his career back on track at Bloomfield Road and his strong start bodes well for those of a Leeds and Blackpool persuasion.
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