On the night he received his latest call-up to play in Azzurri blue, Wilfried Gnonto was starring in Leeds white. The forward, fresh from his Golden Boy nomination, was making his first appearance for the club he joined on transfer deadline day as Leeds United Under-21s saw off Southampton 6-2 at Elland Road.
It was a star-studded line-up, with the likes of Patrick Bamford, Liam Cooper, Crysencio Summerville, Luke Ayling and Junior Firpo all being involved, but supporters were keeping an eager eye on Gnonto and it’s fair to say they won’t have been disappointed. The forward didn’t find the joy his attack-minded team-mates did in the game, with Bamford bagging a hat-trick in the Premier League 2 Division 2 clash, while Summerville notched up three assists, won a penalty and found the back of the net.
However, Gnonto caught the eye in his own right with his direct running and obvious ability with the ball, which was enough to petrify Southampton’s right-back Lewis Payne. The stocky 18-year-old almost had the perfect start to life in West Yorkshire after beating the offside trap with less than a minute on the clock.
He couldn’t quite dig the ball out from under his feet cleanly, though, and Saints custodian Matt Hall was able to deny the Italian with a relatively straightforward save. It was a promising start to the game and he continued to cause problems throughout the first half with his running game, growing in confidence with the ball at his feet.
He played a part in Summerville’s goal, with his movement bringing the right-back inside and freeing up the space for the Dutchman to lash an effort across Hall and into the bottom corner of the net. He had a role in the move that should have seen Leeds take a 3-0 lead, too, combining with Bamford and Summerville before Ayling fluffed his lines inside the six-yard box.
He continued to pose a threat with the ball at his feet in the second half, not needing a second invitation to drive at the defender before finding a pass or putting the ball into a dangerous area of the field. It may only have been an U21s game, but he made a fine first impression on the 10,639 supporters inside Elland Road and they gave him a huge ovation as he left the field in the 81st minute, to be replaced by Charlie Allen.
“In possession he was good,” U21S boss Michael Skubala said after the game. “I thought he was really good. He's still new to the way we want to play so I still think he's got lots of learning to do and he'll do that. But I thought at times he was really exciting to watch.
“I think it's early days, it's really early days. For us to get Willy in the building and start working on him and see what we can develop. You see what he can do in possession.
“I think he was really excited by the crowd tonight, he was like ‘wow, okay, this is a 21s game, this is amazing’. So he's in love with Leeds already, the biggest smile you'll ever see. I think again, that takes time and as we see more and as Jesse sees more then he will make those decisions really.”
Whether he will be expected to compete regularly for a spot in Marsch’s first-team line-up this season remains to be seen, but his latest call-up for Italy certainly underlines how highly he is rated by Roberto Mancini. Despite his tender age, Gnonto already has four caps for his country and Skubala believes those international experiences can help him make swift progress at Thorp Arch.
“Senior international, European champions, what an amazing learning experience for him,” the coach added when asked about Gnonto’s call-up. “To bring those experiences back, share them with the group, share them with the players, you want your players playing at every level they can and it's only going to help him to become a Premier League player and that's what we want him to be.”
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