Leeds United Out-on-loan Star ‘Bit Of A Goalscorer’ Feels Ex-EFL Man | OneFootball

George Wood/Getty Images

Ex-EFL winger Adrian Clarke is of the view that Leeds United loanee Joe Gelhardt, who is on loan at Hull City, is a bit of a goalscorer and also praised Ruben Selles’ decision to play him more centrally against Plymouth Argyle earlier this week.

The former England youth international came through Wigan Athletic’s youth system and played 21 times for the Latics senior team before Leeds snapped him up in 2020 when he was a teenager.

He was seen as a huge talent for the future, but he could not quite deliver as he only managed to squeak in only three goals in his 57 appearances for the Whites.

Gelhardt was the subject of interest from a host of clubs in the winter transfer window, but Leeds ultimately agreed to loan him to Hull, who are fighting to stay up in the Championship, for the rest of the season and he has scored twice in nine league games.

He scored an important goal against strugglers Argyle on Tuesday and Clarke commented that the Whites loanee benefits from playing in a more central area.

The former EFL star praised Selles’ decision to play Gelhardt closer to the goal and he thinks the Whites loan star is a bit of a goal-getter.

“Gelhardt deserves a mention as well; he [Selles] sort of moves him from the flank into the more of a number 10 position, and he gets himself a poacher’s finish”, Clarke said on What The EFL (7:01) about the Leeds loan star at Hull.

“I think he is a bit of a goalscorer, isn’t he, Gelhardt?

“I think sometimes when he plays wide, not close enough, to the goal.

“So, that is a good little tweak [to play him centrally].“

The 22-year-old Leeds attacker will be keen to make the most of the regular game time he is getting at Hull after struggling for it at Elland Road.

With Leeds on course to claim automatic promotion back to the Premier League, Gelhardt’s chances of game time with the club next season could well be even bleaker.

And he may consider his time at Hull to be a shop window to show clubs what he can do ahead of the summer transfer window.