Why Blackpool must manage the fitness of Leeds United loanee Ian Poveda

The Leeds United winger made his Blackpool debut on Tuesday night, coming off the bench with 10 minutes to go during the 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers.

The 22-year-old almost helped assist an unlikely late equaliser for Appleton’s men, providing a cross for Kenny Dougall who headed disappointingly wide in the dying moments.

Despite making his first appearance in tangerine, Poveda is lacking in game time and is unlikely to feature too heavily over the coming weeks.

However, Appleton still expects the summer recruit to play a part.

“He’s got good feet, he’s very quick and he’s direct,” Pool’s head coach told The Gazette.

“He needs minutes because he’s not had much game time. He’s fit and ready but we’re going to have to manage his minutes over the next five or six weeks before he’s fully up to speed.

“If he can come off the bench and make an impact, maybe start a game and give us an hour…

“But when I talk about a lack of quality in the squad, he’s definitely got that.”

The wide man has already made 18 first-team appearances for Leeds but he currently finds himself down the pecking order at Elland Road.

Poveda did enjoy a brief stint in the Championship last season with Tuesday night’s opponents Blackburn, making 10 appearances and scoring once before his loan spell was cut short through injury.

The England Under-20 international, who spent time in the academies at Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona and Brentford as a youngster, made the move to Yorkshire from Manchester City in 2020.