Lee Bowyer thinks £3.8m Leeds player is going to cause ‘so many problems’ this season

Lee Bowyer has said that he thinks Leeds United winger Wilfried Gnonto is going to cause opposition players plenty of problems this season.

Bowyer was speaking on TalkSPORT (6/8 8:55am) ahead of the start of the Championship season.

New manager Daniel Farke would have had his eye on the results from the opening weekend so far.

Already fellow relegated side Southampton has got off to a winning start, while Watford demolished QPR.

There’s been plenty of change at Elland Road over the summer before the beginning of their second-tier campaign.

A change of ownership should give Leeds added impetus to add to their squad in the final weeks of the transfer window.

Plenty of first-team players who featured heavily last year have now departed on loan or permanently.

However, Wilfried Gnonto is still at Leeds and Bowyer has backed him to have a huge impact this season.

The £3.8m winger burst onto the scene last year and arguably didn’t play as many minutes as he should.

The 19-year-old is likely to be one of several youngsters handed an opportunity by Farke this year.

Bowyer excited to see Gnonto in action for Leeds

Asked about who he’s looking forward to watching this season, Bowyer said: “They’ve been able to keep hold of [Jack] Harrison and [Stuart] Dallas.

“I’m looking forward to seeing that young lad [Wilfried] Gnonto.

“I’m so looking forward to him because I think with his pace and directness, I think he’s just going to cause so many problems this season.”

Gnonto has been linked with a move away from Leeds this season, with Premier League sides interested in the Italian international.

There’s also been a suggestion that he’s keen to move on, but Farke has to convince him to stay at the club for one more season.

Immediately returning to the Premier League is never easy and often an expensive gamble.

Bowyer thinks Gnonto can thrive at Leeds this season and playing every week in the Championship could be great for his development.

However, if he wants to be involved for Italy at next summer’s European Championships, he may feel he has to move on in the next few weeks.