da bwin： Even before he was confirmed as Leeds United's manager until the end of the season, Sam Allardyce had spoken glowingly about Wilfried Gnonto's ability on the pitch.
da poker： Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, the experienced Englishman said:
"There are a couple of players who in my opinion should be playing. Wilfried Gnonto, the young Italian kid.
"Fantastic. He's so positive, so driven, so direct with the ball, he gets the play up the field, and he doesn't mind defending as well."
How has Gnonto performed under Allardyce?
Allardyce stuck to his word and started the 19-year-old against Manchester City but would drop him to the bench against Newcastle United, and the youngster will be hoping to have more of a say in the final two games of the campaign which will decide Leeds' fate.
The summer signing, who earns £20k-per-week, mustered just 15 touches against City and 19 against Newcastle, which suggests that he could be far more involved in a more central, attacking-midfield position as both Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford mustered more than 30 against the Toon.
The move to a central position certainly makes sense when you consider that the second-striker role is where Gnonto has made the majority of his appearances in his short career thus far, and it could help him rediscover some of the goalscoring form he showed in Inter's academy and at FC Zurich.
Pundit Tam McManus was full of praise for the teenager after his assist against Bournemouth earlier in the season, dubbing him a "pocket rocket" and waxing lyrical about his potential.
He added: “Wow, what a performance from him. He looks like he has a really low centre of gravity and he looks absolutely tremendous."
Should Gnonto play more centrally for Leeds?
The prospect of Gnonto picking the ball up centrally and running at midfielders and defenders would be a frightening prospect for opposition sides, who have so far been able to shut him out on the wing far too often, so this is surely something Allardyce should consider for the weekend trip to West Ham.
Only four players in Leeds' squad have played more key passes and three players contributed more dribbles per game in the top flight this season, so he certainly has the ability to be a difference-maker in the final third.
The former Bolton boss hasn't shied away from bold decisions in his brief time at Leeds, with Rasmus Kristensen and Robin Koch both taking on new roles at centre-back and defensive-midfield respectively, so this tactical switch certainly isn't out of the question.
Leeds need something special from the final two games of the season if they are going to retain their Premier League status and moving Gnonto to a more central position could just help to provide it.