Raphinha on the bench: Marcelo Bielsa explains reason behind dropping Leeds star

Marcelo Bielsa insists Raphinha has been dropped for tactical reasons only after the Leeds United boss explained his thinking for benching his star Brazilian in Sunday’s game against Manchester United.

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The Brazilian has elevated his status to new levels after starring for Brazil in recent months. As such, it is no surprise to see Leeds looking to reward their star man with a bumper new deal.

And while Raphinha still has over two years still left on his current deal, the Yorkshire club want to extend his stay and make him their highest earner in the process.

That said, a worrying report on Wednesday suggested he has twice ignored offers from Leeds to open talks on his future.

However, the Yorkshire Evening Post are adamant that Leeds remain hopeful of securing a new deal for their star man.

They claim that, contrary to the reports, talks between them and his agent Deco remain ongoing.

Even so, Raphinha’s form for Leeds has been far lower than his own usual high standards lately. He missed a great chance to score in the recent defeat to Newcastle, following that up with an almost anonymous display in the match at Aston Villa.

Raphinha then found himself hooked at half-time in last weekend’s disappointing 3-0 loss at Everton.

All the same, it comes as a huge surprise to see Raphinha left out of the starting line-up for Sunday’s game against Manchester United.

With Adam Forshaw brought back into the