Georginio Rutter moved from frustration to brilliance for Leeds United and Daniel Farke in last weekend’s friendly win over Schalke.
Georginio Rutter’s performances with Leeds United have been described as ranging from sublime to absurd at times. He returns to Elland Road today for the final friendly of the preseason, with his home crowd eager to see the French creator again.
Last season, the 22-year-old was only surpassed by outgoing Crysencio Summerville in terms of importance in the last third. The Championship Player of the Season contributed to 28 goals, while Rutter scored six and assisted on another 16, but there is still so much room for improvement.
In front of goal, Rutter grew more well-known for the chances he missed, while his assists were excellent, but he still had the potential to serve up more with a better first touch or, perhaps, not trying as hard. Last weekend’s match against Schalke provided Daniel Farke with a concise evaluation of the attacker’s strengths and weaknesses.
“He’s still a young player and he still needs to learn,” he told me. “This game was the perfect illustration because [in] the first 20-25 minutes, he was not fantastic in the game, lost a few balls, and was possibly overdoing a few things.
“He learnt that when everything does not go as planned, pitching is difficult, so keep it simple. This is what he did, and as the game progressed, he became more confident.
“In the second half, he was almost unplayable in some great scenarios. He demonstrated again how great and vital he is to our aims, and long may it continue.”
