Leeds United centre-forward Wilfried Gnonto could be handed his first-team debut at Crystal Palace this weekend.

What's the talk?

That's according to Beren Cross, with the journalist stating his belief in a recent article for Leeds Live that, following Luis Sinisterra's sending off against Aston Villa, the 18-year-old striker will now likely be an option Jesse Marsch calls upon from the bench at Selhurst Park this weekend.

In his article, Cross wrote: "The [Joe] Gelhardt exclusion was a one-off talking point yesterday and, ironically, he'll probably be back in by this weekend with Luis Sinisterra's suspension.

"The Colombian's absence will also push Gnonto that little closer to the first XI and make him a likely option from the bench at Crystal Palace. If he can nudge ahead of the club's best young striker in half a month, his adaptation to Premier League football is going to be fascinating."

Really exciting for Leeds

Considering just how much potential Gnonto looks to possess, Cross' claim that the 18-year-old could be handed his Premier League debut this weekend - just a month after making a £3.8m move to Elland Road - is undoubtedly extremely good news for everyone involved with the club.

Indeed, speaking of the Italian forward earlier this term, U21s manager Michael Skubala claimed that the teenager is "really exciting to watch," and thus, with Leeds missing a certain Sinisterra, he could be just the player to provide an element of magic to Marsch's side.

The £9m-rated talent was in exceptional form over his 33 Super League appearances - only nine of which came as starts - for FC Zurich last season, scoring eight goals, registering three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.4 shots, making 0.8 key passes and completing 0.9 dribbles per game.

For comparison, should the teenager have returned these numbers for Leeds in the Premier League last season, he would have ranked joint-second for goals, joint-second for assists and joint-fourth for big chances created in the Whites squad.

Furthermore, with the 18-year-old, who was dubbed a "real diamond" by scout Jacek Kulig, having already made six appearances for the Italian national team - becoming the youngest goalscorer in the Azzurri's history in the process - it is clear to see that Roberto Mancini rates the centre-forward extremely highly.

As such, it would very much appear as if all things point towards Gnonto possessing the ability to become something of a world-beater at Elland Road, something that, should Cross be correct in his prediction, supporters of the Whites could see a first glimpse of against Crystal Palace this weekend - something that is sure to be an incredibly exciting prospect.