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Leeds United figure waxes lyrical about seven-figure starlet set to feature on Friday night

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Michael Skubala will take charge of Leeds United’s under-21 side this Friday against Southampton at Elland Road.

He will have a host of first-team players available to him with Leeds revealing via twitter that Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling, and Junior Firpo will all feature in the game at some stage.

However, Skubala has said a fifth player will be added to the mix, with Leeds’ newest £5million signing, 18-year-old Italian international Wilfried Gnonto, also set to play a part in the game.

Skubala is really excited at what the youngster has to offer, we look at what he said in his pre-match interview with Adam Pope of BBC Leeds.

Gnonto is expected to eventually make his way into Jesse Marsch‘s plans, but Skubala is excited for him to be a part of his development side for now, he said:

“I’m really looking forward to working with Willy Gnonto. He’s come in and he’s a really good young man. He’s a really good character already to have around the building.”

Skubala continued in saying Gnonto has already gained a lot of experience for “such a young player.” At 18 he already has over 70 appearances to his name from his time with FC Zurich in Switzerland. Skubala added that Leeds fans should enjoy watching Gnonto, he said: “He’s an exciting player, he’s one of those that I hope the fans get behind.”

With the signings of Gnonto, Sonny Perkins, and Darko Gyabi Leeds have added real quality into their youth side, and all of them will be looking to play a part in Leeds’ first-team sooner rather than later, Skubala outlined the importance of nurturing their talents carefully, he added:

“Another good opportunity to have a young talent come into the club, (we need to work out) how we can support that talent through the structures and into the first-team.”

Can you see Gnonto featuring for the first-team this season?

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Skubala is rightly excited by Gnonto given his ceiling. The sky is the limit for a player who is already capped by Italy at senior level, and their youngest ever goal scorer, no less. The raw talent is there for all to see.

He is versatile, tricky, and explosive; all of which should help lead to first-team minutes fairly quickly, if his potential can be harnessed correctly.

Leeds and Gnonto will be hoping that Friday proves to be too easy for him in order to fast track him into the Jesse Marsch’s plans.

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