Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom is keen to make sure that he doesn’t tamper with Leeds United loanee Sam Greenwood’s natural enthusiasm and aggression while trying to coach him to make better decisions.
Greenwood spent last season on loan at Middlesbrough and while he returned to Leeds in the summer, he was never expected to be part of Daniel Farke’s long-term plans.
The attacking midfielder was loaned out to Preston in the summer and he started the first six Championship games of the season at his current club.
However, the midfielder will miss the next three league games due to a suspension he received following getting a straight red card in Preston’s 0-0 draw against Blackburn Rovers last weekend.
He has been under fire for making a poor tackle but Heckingbottom is keen to stand by the young player while he is still learning the ropes of the game.
The Preston boss is keen not to curb the Leeds United loanee’s natural game
Greenwood has been an important part of the Preston squad since joining the club and they will miss his presence in the next three league games.
Heckingbottom conceded that given the area of the country the player comes from, it’s natural for him to want to dominate games physically.
The Preston boss insisted that his natural instinct is to want to dominate physically and win the ball back as soon as possible and it is something he is not keen to curb in Greenwood.
However, he stressed that the midfielder is still only 22 and in the next few years he will pick up on the nuances of the game and learn to pick his moments to be aggressive.
“I speak to Sam a lot”, Heckingbottom said in a press conference.
“Me growing up, I think there is the northeast, south Yorkshire, and Merseyside – you tend to want to come out on top in a physical way, rather than any other way.
“Sam’s been brought up that way, where he likes to compete physically.
“He wants to win the ball; sometimes that isn’t the correct decision.
“But yeah, I don’t want to take that enthusiasm and aggression out of his game. He is still only young and in the next couple of years, he’ll start to realise where and when to use it – and how best to use it.”
Leeds will likely look to sell Greenwood next summer when he returns to the club as he will only have a year left on his contract at Elland Road.
