Spotlight on Lewis Bate and the positive omen of impressive young Leeds United midfielder being 'hooked'

Bate made his Premier League debut at the London Stadium, playing 43 minutes in a game where controlling the midfield was crucial.

Bate did that, taking the game to the Hammers and standing up to a midfield containing the likes of Declan Rice and Manuel Lanzini, and was impressive to say the least.

The key for Bate will have been getting through the game, he did that, adding a nutmeg on Rice in there just for good measure.

Bate signed in the summer from Chelsea for a fee of around £1.6m according to Transfermarkt.

The 19-year-old has impressed so far for the club, netting his first goal in the EFL Trophy while playing for the Under-23s.

Bate made his full debut for the Whites in the third round FA Cup tie away at West Ham the week before.

He played 45 minutes in that match and looked good on the ball, one of the main reasons Leeds signed him.

Bate is mainly deployed as a holding midfielder, somewhere Leeds require depth given the injuries to Kalvin Phillips and Adam Forshaw.

Bielsa is known for putting square pegs in round holes, but Bate does not feel like that, he is naturally a holding midfielder, a position Leeds have tried the likes of Pascal Struijk and Robin Koch in when the chips are down.

Bate came through the Chelsea Academy, arguably one of the best academies in Europe, given the players that have come through there - Mason Mount and Reece James being the standouts.

He is a player Bielsa likes and trusts, showcased by the fact that he was Forshaw’s replacement on Sunday when the midfielder limped off with a hamstring injury.

Leeds consistently keep finding talent. They have handed eight players senior debuts in the Premier League this season, a new record set by Bielsa and his coaching staff.

It does show however, the trust that Bielsa has in the academy players brought in by director of football Victor Orta, especially given how so many of them have made their debuts, including Crysencio Summerville, Joe Gelhardt and Charlie Cresswell.

One thing to note, Bate did not seem particularly happy at coming off on Sunday.

He worked hard and felt like he deserved to be on the pitch longer..

But being taken off early by Marcelo Bielsa isn’t a bad thing.

Kalvin Phillips, someone who plays the same position as Bate, used to be hooked off after 30 minutes in the early days.

It didn't do Phillips any harm, and it certainly won’t do Bate any harm either.

Leeds are far from being back to full strength but if the performances of Bate and co are anything to go off, they are not far off.

The future looks bright.

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