‘Seen Glimpses Of That’ – Ruthlessness Emphasised By Leeds United U21s Boss | OneFootball

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Leeds United Under-21s boss Scott Gardner has highlighted signs of greater ruthlessness from the young Whites following their EFL Trophy victory, but wants them to go further.

The Peacocks edged past Barnsley in a seven-goal thriller at Oakwell on Tuesday night, securing a 4-3 victory in their opening EFL Trophy group fixture.

Leeds seized control of the contest in the first half, racing into a three-goal lead before adding another after the interval as they appeared to be cruising towards a comfortable win, only for the Tykes to launch a late fightback.

Callum Mills was the standout performer for the Yorkshire outfit, firing in a hat-trick, while Josh McDonald also found the net for Leeds.

Following the match, Gardner admitted he was disappointed Leeds had not built a bigger lead, insisting they still need to become much more clinical in front of goal even though there are already signs of improvement.

The Under-21s boss was also disappointed by the way his side allowed Barnsley to respond with three goals, although he stressed that the experience was an important learning opportunity for his side.

Gardner also expressed frustration over Leeds missing the chance to put down a marker, although he took plenty of encouragement from a display in which his side were excellent for much of the contest.

The English boss told Leeds’ official website: “I am just a bit disappointed we couldn’t have gone a little bit further with the scoreline, to be honest.

“If we would have scored maybe another three in the first half, I don’t think that would have flattered us.

“We have been talking about being ruthless so I think we have seen glimpses of that but, yeah, we can definitely go a bit further.

“We knew that they would change stuff in the second half and we are disappointed to concede the three goals at the end.

“But actually as a learning experience, that is massive for them.

“I was disappointed for them because I think it could have been a real statement. For 75 minutes we were outstanding.”

Leeds now will face Oldham Athletic and Fleetwood Town in Group G of their EFL Trophy campaign as they look to build on their winning start.

The senior side at Elland Road have also been enjoying a strong run of form, with Daniel Farke’s men going into the international break unbeaten in the Premier League.