Paul Merson issues worrying Leeds United ‘long season’ verdict as English club ‘check’ on Whites defender

Leeds United were left licking their wounds on Sunday afternoon as they left a one-goal slip in a 2-1 away defeat against Crystal Palace.

The Whites had initially taken the lead through a Pascal Struijk strike, before being pegged back by efforts from Odsonne Edouard and Eberechi Eze. The result leaves Jesse Marsch’s men 14th in the table with nine points from their opening eight matches, and extends their winless streak in the Premier League to five matches - a run that stretches back to August’s 3-0 demolition of Chelsea.

Next up for Leeds is a visit to Elland Road from league leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, and as another week gets underway, we’ve rounded up all the latest United-related headlines below...

Merson issues ‘gung-ho’ warning

Paul Merson has criticised Leeds’ game management in the wake of Sunday’s away defeat to Crystal Palace. The Whites led in the capital after an impressive start at Selhurst Park, but ultimately slipped to a 2-1 defeat, and rarely troubled their hosts as they searched in vain for an equaliser.

Reflecting on the result on Sky Sports, the ex-Arsenal midfielder suggested that Jesse Marsch’s men need to find ways of slowing down their relentless approach when they do find themselves in advantageous positions.

“I just think their game management isn’t great, they’re gung-ho, everything is done at 100 miles an hour,” he explained.

“Even when they went in front, they never calmed the game down, nobody was putting their foot on the ball, control the game. One-nil up or one-nil down, it’s 100 miles an hour and I think they need to change that, otherwise, as the season goes on, I think it could be a long season.”

Read the full story here.

Aaronson reacts to ‘gut punch’

Brenden Aaronson has expressed his disappointment at Leeds’ loss to Crystal Palace, suggesting that Odsonne Edouard’s first half strike to cancel out the Whites’ opener felt like a “gut punch”. The American played a crucial role in his side’s goal, embarking on a dazzling run before seeing his shot cannon back off the upright and into the path of Pascal Struijk.

Speaking after the final whistle, Aaronson said: “As a group it’s tough to swallow that because I felt like in the first half we had a bunch of chances but we didn’t punish them the way we wanted to.

“It’s tough to swallow because to come away from home and play against a good team like that and play the way we played, it’s tough. Whenever the other team doesn’t have many chances and it’s first shot, first goal it is a gut punch.

“They have so many individual players that have such quality and it’s tough. I think we did a good job handling them and it’s a tough result.”

Read the full story here.

Canaries keen on Cresswell

Norwich City are “checking on” Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell, according to The Sun.

The 20-year-old has impressed during his current loan spell with Championship outfit Millwall, and it is understood that he remains a part of Jesse Marsch’s plans at Elland Road. Nonetheless, the Canaries are said to be “hanging on” in case the Whites’ stance on the player changes in the long term.

Since making his move to The Den, Cresswell has featured in nine Championship matches, scoring three goals and assisting one more.

Check out the rest of today’s Premier League transfer speculation here.