Leeds 'quite pleased' with teenage starlet behind-the-scenes at Elland Road

Leeds United summer signing Wilfried Gnonto has ‘settled in well’ at Elland Road, but head coach Jesse Marsch is expected to be ‘patient’ over his development, according to Sky Sports reporter Tim Thornton.

The Whites spent close to £100million during the transfer window, which closed earlier this month, and the frontman was among the fresh faces to head to Yorkshire.

Leeds parted with £3.8million to sign Gnonto from Swiss side Zurich during the final moments on deadline day.

The 18-year-old penned a five-year deal, which will keep him with the club until the summer of 2027, but it has emerged that Marsch did not initially set out to strike a deal yet.

While he admitted Leeds have been tracking Gnonto for some time, the American revealed plans to make a move accelerated when bids for alternative targets fell through.

Although Gnonto has not made his senior debut yet, he did get his first taste of Elland Road action when the Leeds under-21 side sealed a comfortable win over Southampton earlier this month.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has previously told GIVEMESPORT that Leeds intend to carefully manage their latest acquisition rather than throwing him straight into Premier League football.

Thornton understands that Gnonto has adjusted to life at Leeds seamlessly and, as a result, the club are delighted with his progress.

However, the journalist believes Whites chief Marsch will only include the teenager in a Premier League starting line-up if injuries leave him with no other option.

Thornton told GIVEMESPORT: “By all accounts, he’s settled in well and Leeds are quite pleased with him.

“But I think they can also be patient with him unless they get injuries in key positions. Then it might be a case of sink or swim and we’ll