Hasenhuttl’s change of heart leads to ‘dream’ Broja winner

Departing St Mary’s a match-winner on Saturday, Armando Broja might have reflected on just how quickly he had turned things around.

In the build-up to Leeds’s trip to Southampton, Ralph Hasenhuttl appeared to pour cold water on any suggestion the Chelsea loanee would be handed a first Premier League start, saying: “He’s a very good sub. I don’t know if he is ready for 90 minutes from the beginning.”

Just a couple of days later, the 20-year-old rewarded his manager for a change of heart, scoring the only goal of the game after making the starting XI to give dominant Southampton a deserved first Premier League win of the season.

Broja was a menace throughout the 81 minutes he spent on the pitch before cramp ended his presence. With the ever-industrious Nathan Redmond dropping into pockets of space, he was able to sit high on the Leeds defence, driving at opposition players whenever invited.

Having taken his biggest chance with aplomb, firing into the roof of the net from eight yards to finish a Southampton counter-attack after 53 minutes, he will expect to retain a starting spot in a side still searching to replace Danny Ings and struggling with a lack of goals.

Why Leeds are struggling

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was three years old,” Broja said. “It is a dream come true.”

The Berkshire-born Albanian has also scored in three of his four international substitute appearances this season and will come up against the country of his birth in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley next month.

Outplayed and fortunate not to lose by more, Leeds will hope to welcome Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford back on Saturday against Wolves. The trio’s absence exposed some worrying frailties in Marcelo Bielsa’s thin squad.