Middlesbrough loanee Sam Greenwood has been in fine form for the club of late, with his exploits on the pitch even drawing compliments from the manager of parent club Leeds.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke revealed in his pre-match press conference on the club’s Twitter site ahead of the eagerly anticipated clash with Boro, that he would have not allowed the attacker to leave on loan if he was able to utilise one of his attributes in a specific way.
Speaking about Greenwood, he was keen to praise the effort and the ability of the 21-year-old. He said, “He’s a young player full of potential and has many really, really good skills.
“For example, in set pieces and free-kicks, he is one of the best free-kick takers I have ever worked with and I’ve worked with some good players for example like James Maddison and whatever.”
High praise from parent club
High praise indeed considering the level of Maddison, but Farke pointed out that you can not substitute a player onto the pitch just for that moment. “He has unbelievable skills, but in football, it’s also not like American Football, where you have a special squad and just for a special occasion you can send one player in.” Said the Leeds boss.
“It’s not like I can just go ‘okay, there’s a free-kick or penalty or a corner, I just substitute a player in like in American Football. This is different. If you would be allowed to do this, I would definitely have kept Sam Greenwood because in these terms, even in our squad he would be second to none. That’s definitely a fact.”
Greenwood has found a couple more gears now that he has fully bedded in at Boro, and Michael Carrick must take plenty of the plaudits for holding him back a little until he finally found that rhythm and style to suit Boro’s play.
The Boro Head Coach has always said that Sam Greenwood would have a big role to play this season and he has scored some important goals recently. None more so than the sumptuous free-kick that sunk Leicester. That goal will have been nearly as pleasing for Farke as it was Carrick.
Benefit for all parities
The German tactician admitted that one of the benefits of an in-form Greenwood-who can not play against Leeds due to loan stipulations-is that he can damage the credentials of some of the Yorkshire clubs’ rivals. He added, “When I think about some end products that he has delivered against some opponents who are around us in the table, I think at the moment it’s very, very beneficial.”
Of course, for Middlesbrough, the slight concern is that his performances, whilst hugely enjoyable and satisfying, will mean that his value to Leeds United-whether that is as a player or a commodity in terms of financial gain-takes him away from Boro’s clutches. Yes, the Teesside club have a set fee that they can trigger to buy the player, but the player must also agree to join the club.
On a positive note, Greenwood appears to be enjoying his football and his time in the north east, and being from the area, it surely helps. If that were to continue, you would hope that the decision come the end of the season would be a straight forward one. But as pointed out by Boro’s Head of Football Kieran Scott in a recent interview, it could be complicated if Leeds are promoted. He would then be a Premier League footballer, and all that comes with it.
You know what they say, never fall in love with a loan player.