‘Has to give more’: Player who snubbed Leeds slated by media for ‘dull and uninspired’ display

Thu 6 October 2022 18:15, UK

Leeds United tried hard to sign Charles De Ketelaere over the summer months.

However, the Whites failed to get his signing over the line, as the player opted to join AC Milan instead.

Leeds owner over the summer that he had ‘one regret’ – not signing De Ketelaere.

The Elland Road chief said: “I have one regret, I should have gone 10 days before to Belgium to close the deal.

“We had a period of time that I knew Milan were slipping because of the change of ownership.

“And I hesitated maybe a week or 10 days more, when I should have gone a little earlier.”

However, De Ketelaere hasn’t fared too well since swapping Club Brugge for the Siro.

The 21-year-old has has a fair bit of game time this term, making 11 appearances, including seven starts.

‘How long must we keep waiting?’

So far, things haven’t clicked for him, and on Wednesday, he flattered to deceive against Chelsea in the Champions League.

This led to criticism from several media outlets, who weren’t impressed with De Ketelaere’s efforts at Milan so far.

gave De Ketelaere 5 out of 10 for his display on the night.

‘Dull and uninspired performance,’ they wrote. ‘He is always missing something to take the next step.

‘Leao offers him a golden assist to punish Kepa, but his shot is weak and allows the goalkeeper to save before Krunic lets him off.’

Meanwhile, gave him 4.5 out of 10 for his efforts.

‘Once again shy and even awkward in some circumstances,’ they wrote.

‘He misses a simple goal at the end of the first half. Milan pamper him and are patient, but he has to give more.’

And also went with 4.5 out of 10 for De Ketelaere.

‘We always await his burst to prominence, but punctually the expectations are not respected.

‘The Belgian is shy, not really in the game and misses practically all the steps towards his teammates.

‘There is no doubt that he needs time, but how long must we keep waiting?’

Admittedly, it’s a considerable jump in quality from the Belgian top flight to the Italian top flight.

And De Ketelaere is young and has just moved to a new country and league, so he’ll need time to adapt.

Nonetheless, if things don’t seem to pick up for him, could speculation resurface linking him with Leeds again?