Marcelo Bielsa delivers verdict on Leeds United youngster amid first team fight

The Whites midfielder has been included in just one Premier League matchday squad following his arrival from Chelsea in the summer.

Bate has impressed for the club's Under-23s side this term, making 13 appearances having missed just one fixture ahead of his senior involvement against Leicester City.

The 19-year-old left Stamford Bridge in a bid to find a pathway to first team football though has had to be patient in West Yorkshire despite midfield injuries to Bielsa's first team squad.

He bagged an impressive goal against Salford City - his first for the club - in the EFL Trophy last month, sprinting clear from the halfway line before coolly finding the back of the net one-on-one.

Bate's slick passing and eye for a ball in the final third has impressed onlookers while his tenacious ability to keep hold of possession is easily apparent.

His regular involvement in first team training has given Bielsa a look at his abilities as he tries to force his way into the senior fold.

The Leeds head coach was asked about his fight to break through into the first team ranks ahead of tonight's clash with Manchester City at the Etihad, with fellow youngster Jack Jenkins seemingly preferred as a bench midfield option for the moment.

"What he does is sufficient," Bielsa said of the young midfielder.

"He is a very hard-working person, very serious. He is competing with players his age and those with stability in the first team.

"I observe, correctly or wrongly, and I pick [a squad from that]."

Asked about his squad's morale following a late 3-2 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, Bielsa added: "To lose always generates disappointment and frustration.

"The efforts are valued more when you get something from them. The feeling and the mood is always affected. We try to face these opponents on the same level.”