Leeds United news: Weston McKennie slammed over Whites spell as Southampton boss admits ‘mentality problem’

Leeds United will be in high spirits this week after another comfortable win over the weekend.

The Whites defeated Watford 3-0 at home to make it seven points from the last nine available, and Daniel Farke’s men have moved into the top six as a result of their upturn in form. Leeds now turn attention to a tough-looking clash with Southampton away from home having looked patchy on the road so far this season.

In the meantime, we have rounded up all the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding Elland Road.

McKennie slammed

Former Leeds loanee Weston McKennie has been slammed for his performances over recent times by Paolo Di Canio.

“The level is missing on the pitch, because those who may have grown up within the environment are young guys and don’t have this great personality with all due respect,” Di Canio told Sky Sports in Italy. “They have qualities, but they don’t seem like born leaders to me. Danilo? Being a serious professional is different from being a leader.

“McKennie is loaned to Leeds and contributes to their relegation, can he be a regular in a team that wins the Championship? I don’t want to destroy the player by saying that he is not capable, but there are values.

“In that area the chain was [Federico] Gatti-[Fabio] Miretti-McKennie. How many teams would these three players play for? Not only in those fighting for the championship. Are they starting players to win the championship?”.

Gnonto blow

Leeds were dealt an injury blow ahead of their win over Watford after Daniel Farke revealed on Friday Willy Gnonto had injured his lateral ankle ligament.

The problem was sustained 20 minutes into the midweek draw at Hull City with Gnonto forced from the field in East Yorkshire. After Saturday’s win over Hull City, Farke confirmed the Italian would need surgery before he was able to return to action.

He is expected to be out until the next international break which takes place in mid-October. Providing an update on Gnonto, Farke said on Saturday: “He’s done his ligament. He also needs a little surgery but not because of the ligament but because there’s so little bone that has to be cleaned, so he will be out I guess until the next international break.

“It’s obviously a blow for us but it happens in football, injuries happen and we hope to have him back as quick as possible.”

Martin on Southampton ‘problems’

Southampton boss Russell Martin admitted his players are still suffering from a mental hangover following last season’s relegation from the Premier League.

He said after Saturday’s defeat to Middlesbrough: “The mentality needs to change. We had the game where we wanted it, but then for some reason, we let the game fall out of our grasp and slip.

“That’s a mentality problem, it’s not a lack of effort, for sure. The players are working extremely hard, but it’s not a quick fix at the club.

“It’s been a tough however long it’s been – certainly a tough year or 18 months. There’s a huge hangover from that, probably bigger than we thought. But we’ll continue to give everything we can and build into a better team and a better club.

“We want to give the fans a team to be proud of, but at the minute, we’re going through a really tough moment. We need the supporters more than ever, but we understand their frustration. We have to keep working, it’s as simple as that.”