Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch must unleash an out-and-out striker against Brighton and Hove Albion this afternoon in a desperate bid to keep the Yorkshire giants in the Premier League.

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Whites in recent weeks as they now find themselves in the relegation zone with only two games left remaining this campaign.

Both the American and his predecessor Marcelo Bielsa have rued the absence of last season's top goalscorer, Patrick Bamford, through a variety of injuries and it has certainly cost them dearly.

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Only Raphinha has hit double figures for Leeds in 2021/22.

Six teams have scored fewer than the Whites' 39 league goals and the Brazil international has accounted for 25.6% of that - and 33.3% when factoring in his assists, too.

One of the more underwhelming players this season has been Rodrigo and across the last 17 outings, he's failed to start one match. On the contrary, he's lasted the full 90 in only eight of those, as per Transfermarkt.

Across his last four games, in which he's led the line, the £13.5m-rated Spaniard has failed to score or assist, adding to Leeds' woes in the final third.

In terms of that attacking output, he ranks fourth for average number of shots per game (1.5) and that has only correlated into six goals across 29 appearances, via WhoScored.

Considering he was once the club's record signing at £26m and is easily their highest-earning player on a reported £100k-per-week, it's not great reading and if anything, he's been holding them back.

Earlier this month, his poor form was highlighted by journalist Beren Cross, who claimed there were still plenty of question marks over his ability for the big time.

"He had that little spurt of goals and performances and uptick and then against Palace and City he was completely anonymous, which kind of sums up his entire tenure at least so far really," he told LeedsLive.

"It hasn’t really got going for him I think injuries and COVID have played their part, especially in his first season, but ultimately, yes, there are still major questions about his impact on this team and his input and what he’s good at."

As such, with Bamford still unable to start, Marsch must be bold with his team selection and opt for someone like Joe Gelhardt instead of the struggling Spanish flop.

It's a decision that could seriously aid Leeds' quest to remain a Premier League outfit.

AND in other news, Insider drops Leeds transfer claim ahead of summer window...