"Higher ceiling" - Leeds United urged to sign Stoke City star over Manuel Benson | OneFootball

FLW's Leeds United fan pundit has given his verdict on the club's chase of Manuel Benson and Million Manhoef

Leeds United’s search for a replacement for Crysencio Summerville has seen them linked with moves for Stoke City’s Million Manhoef and Burnley winger Manuel Benson.

According to Teamtalk, the Whites are weighing up a double swoop to sign both players before the window shuts next week.

It is understood that Benson is prepared to leave Turf Moor, and his exit from the Lancashire outfit before 30 August is expected.

However, Stoke have set a £10 million price tag for Manhoef, which they hope will put Leeds off pursuing a move for the forward.

Manhoef signed for the Potters last January from Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, and has played 16 times in the Championship, contributing four goals and two assists (all stats from Fbref).

Leeds United right-wing search verdict

FLW’s Leeds fan pundit Kris Smith believes that signing both players this summer is not feasible.

But he has claimed that Manhoef is the more appealing option of the two due to his higher ceiling as a player.

“Links to Manuel Benson and Million Manhoef, they do make a lot of sense given that we need a right-winger,” Smith told Football League World.

“But I don’t see a world where Leeds sign both.

“Both of them are two left-footed right-wingers that would thrive one v one running down the channel and cutting inside.

“We’ve seen that so often from Benson, and Manhoef as well since he signed from Vitesse, but it really should be one or the other if we are looking at them both.

“That said, with Benson, you know you have promotion credentials right there after he scored 11 for Burnley in a great season when they won the title.

“But, having seen Manhoef since January when he joined Stoke, I do think that there’s a higher ceiling there.

“Obviously, he’s a lot younger and he already looks a bit of a more rounded player than Benson.

“He’s got more to his game than just cutting inside and letting fly.

“For that reason, I would be leaning more towards Manhoef, you’re getting more of a long-term investment there.

“But the issue with that is, he’s probably going to cost more off the back because of his contract, having just joined this year.

“And, for the money we’d spend on both of them, I do think we could be expanding our horizons, signing someone potentially not from the Championship because there’s talent out there that is cheaper.”

Manuel Benson’s promotion credentials

Benson signed for Burnley in the summer of 2022 following the club’s relegation from the Premier League.

The 27-year-old scored 11 goals from 33 appearances in the Championship, proving an important part of Vincent Kompany’s league-winning side.

But he struggled for game time in the top flight last year, playing just eight times as the Clarets came 19th in the table.

It remains to be seen whether he has any role to play in Scott Parker’s side this season, having failed to appear in either of their opening two Championship games.

Leeds United will need someone to replace Summerville

Time is running out for Leeds to sign someone to replace Summerville in the squad, with Jonathan Rowe now off the table.

The Whites were interested in the Norwich City forward, but it appears Marseille have won the race to his signature, according to John Percy.

Benson would be an underwhelming arrival given his lack of consistent game time at Burnley, and the fact he is now 27, so is unlikely to improve much further.

Manhoef has shown a lot of promise from his brief stint at Stoke so far, and at 22 still has a lot of room to improve so could prove worth taking on that risk.