René Marić pays tribute to 'rare' Leeds United player on Whites debut despite cup defeat

United’s Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Premier League Wolves was a disappointment, according to assistant head coach René Marić, as the Austrian admitted the club’s backroom staff felt Leeds had enough on the pitch to progress in the competition. The Whites made ten changes in all from last Saturday’s win over AFC Bournemouth, including debuts for Joel Robles, Darko Gyabi, Mateo Joseph and Sonny Perkins.

At full-time, assistant Marić responded to questions from the media in place of head coach Jesse Marsch, just as he did in the previous round after victory at Elland Road over Barnsley. The 30-year-old commended the performance of the youngsters taking their first steps as senior Leeds players, whilst also stating there were areas that still required ‘ironing out’.

In particular, Marić singled out Perkins whose first 80 minutes in a Leeds shirt left those spectating with plenty of positives to take from his performance. Signed this summer from West Ham United, Perkins’ acquisition raised eyebrows as the London-born teenager, already a regular for England Under-19s, remains one of English football’s burgeoning young prospects.

"We're watching every single game at the Under-21s and I agree with you that in Sonny we have a player who is very young and extremely talented there.

"He's a type of player that is eye-catching, because that mixture of physical posture and his ability on the ball is rare. He has to iron out some details.

"We're working on him because of these things,” Marić added.

"It's just about becoming consistent and working on these details, but just in terms of his talent, his abilities, potential, we’re very happy with them, and we have a lot of faith in his potential,” the assistant finished.