David Prutton has blasted two crucial Leeds United players as “inconsistent” following the club’s play-off final defeat to Southampton last month, despite previously praising them.
It has been a week now since Leeds suffered defeat at Wembley to Russell Martin’s Southampton, the third time Leeds have been beaten by the Saints during 2023-24 having previously lost 3-1 and 2-1.
It was a desperately frustrating performance at the home of English football, with Leeds far below their excellent best. Typically, Leeds produced their best in the previous game against Norwich, a 4-0 win.
The defeat sees Leeds forced to play for at least another season in The Championship, and the club will now have to sell a few key players to balance the books with £190m owed to clubs in player transfers.
One of those players is Crysencio Summerville, who has been linked with Liverpool and Chelsea for a fee between £35m and £40m. Ally McCoist thinks Leeds could also wave goodbye to Georginio Rutter.
Prutton blasts Leeds duo Summerville and Rutter as inconsistent
Summerville won the Championship’s Player of the Season award and Rutter produced the best form of his career with 26 goals and assists. But it is fair to say that both dropped off after the March break.
Indeed, the entire Leeds side did. Rutter could not rediscover his best form after a hernia operation in the break and managed just one goal, no assists in the next 10 while Summerville was in and out of form.
Prutton wrote in his Evening Post column: “Leeds haven’t turned up in several games and that’s because they are inherently inconsistent. The players that we are talking about didn’t light up the Premier League.
“Crysencio Summerville didn’t, Georginio Rutter didn’t. Some have experienced very high levels but they are inconsistent. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be in between the Premier League and Championship.”
Prutton picked Leeds duo in his Team of the Season
While Prutton’s verdict makes sense in that neither Rutter or Summerville either produced their best form in the final few weeks of the season or turned up at Wembley, he did pick them in his Team of the Season.
Prior to the play-offs, former Leeds man Prutton picked his Championship XI and both Summerville and Rutter were included alongside on-loan Tottenham man Joe Rodon, which makes his new claim a bit odd.
But there is no doubt that had Rutter and Summerville continued their form in the last few weeks of the season, things may have been different. Rutter has suggested he will stay, Summerville looks set to go.