Why Isaac Schmidt isn't playing for Leeds

Why Isaac Schmidt has been called up for Switzerland but isn't playing for Leeds

Transcript

00:00Yeah, nice tale actually. Nice story. If Schmidt gets on and plays some minutes, because what's

00:10he got for Leeds this season? Like 19, 26 minutes of regulation play for Leeds United

00:18in the championship. He could easily surpass that for his country on Friday night. So we

00:23might actually get a bit more of a look at him. What have you thought of him this season?

00:27I've quite liked him when he's playing. I thought he's nippy, he's quick, he likes to

00:32make a dart inside and forward and he seems to be quite a good dribbler. Picks up clever

00:37offensive positions. What is it that has, other than the niggles and illness and injury

00:44and all that, what is it you think that's holding him back at Leeds?

00:48I think he's been, you're right, he has been nippy. He's been bright. I've liked what I've

00:54seen. But again, can you really square it against him playing against a Harrogate team

01:01where you're two divisions below and a Millwall side who, in an ideal world, you're not going

01:07to be playing next season. I think the big thing for him has been getting up to speed

01:13with English football and the intensity of training. You hear that a lot from foreign

01:20players when they come to England, that the intensity is massively increased and it's

01:26something that does catch them by surprise ever so slightly. I think that has been, just

01:31reading between the lines of what Farka has had to say when he's been asked about him

01:35in press conferences, that's one of the things that I think Leeds have been very keen to

01:41sort of get a handle on straight away. If you're able to contribute, I think it's purely

01:46an intensity fitness thing. Once he has got to that point, which I probably believe that

01:51he is now, the full-back positions are pretty set. Jadon Bogle has come through that difficult

01:56early spell in the season to be one of the most important players in the team. Junior

02:00Firpo is undoubtedly first choice, so he just has to bide his time. But Schmidt has given

02:08an interview with Swiss newspapers this week and said that the Ellen Road hierarchy have

02:15given him assurances that they do see him as a potential future starter for the team.

02:21So I guess it's just watch this space really.