Ian Poveda’s situation at Leeds United is very strange.

The young winger was signed in January to differing opinion as some supporters were initially very excited by the prospect of a man who has been on the books at Arsenal, Barcelona and Man City joining up with the squad.

Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta both apparently rate him very highly, and he received rave reviews from Stuart Dallas shortly after his arrival with the Northern Irishman stating that he’d settled into the group better than anyone he’d ever seen before.

So, why hasn’t he even been making the bench?

It’s really hard to justify the manager’s decision to not have him in the matchday squad, but you can’t say that he isn’t living up to his billing.

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United wanted to sign a wide player to replace Jack Clarke in January, and they seem to have done just that.

However, that isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Clarke played just 19 minutes before being recalled by Tottenham this season, in what must have been an incredibly frustrating period for the young winger.

Poveda is now subject to the same type of treatment with Bielsa completely ignoring his desire to play first-team football.

Unfortunately, Poveda doesn’t have the escape route of a recall as he’s signed on at Elland Road until the summer of 2024.

To add further confusion to the January addition, it’s already been confirmed that the squad will remain the same for the Whites’ clash with Huddersfield this weekend.

As frustrating as it is to see him continuously neglected, the fact of the matter is that Poveda has fulfilled his role as a Clarke replacement, he’s currently seen as nothing more than an U23 player who can step up if he’s desperately needed.

Fingers crossed he’ll get a real opportunity between now and the end of his contract in 2024.

In other news, Marcelo Bielsa needs to make one big call his weekend.