The Frenchman, who impressed throughout the game at The Den and received much acclaim from both players and supporters, scored his second goal of the season in the 3-0 victory over Millwall on Sunday, September 17.
The 21-year-old, though, seems to have found his footing following a challenging first season in English football, in which he failed to score once in the Premier League and the Whites were demoted to the Championship, and has avoided being deterred by any transfer rumors.
According to Leeds Live (17 September), Farke commented on the forward’s interest, saying: “I was of course hoping it would work out and there was loads of interest, also big names all around Europe tried everything, but he was quite committed.
“Despite having a difficult beginning to life at this club, he realized there was more to it, wanted to establish his value and pay it forward, and wanted to show that I am a top-class player. He’s on the correct track, but so are all the other players, if he works hard on the practice field and during games and has such a commitment and work ethic.
made every effort
Should Rutter be able to maintain his early-season form and possibly propel the Whites towards the promotion spots, keeping the forward at Elland Road during the summer may be one of Leeds United’s best moves this transfer window.
Despite having a sluggish start to life in English football, the fact that major names throughout Europe are interested in the striker demonstrates how highly regarded and treasured he is by clubs across the continent. He is still so young at 21, and it was always going to take him some time to settle in.
Few players performed well for the Whites in the second half of the previous campaign as well. Leeds struggled after the January transfer window, thus it would be unfair to blame one player, particularly a new striker, for their relegation.
But Farke isn’t like most managers, and Leeds isn’t like most teams; most teams would have likely cut their losses and moved on this summer. It will be intriguing to see just how successful he can be this season and in the future given that the German manager continues to expect more from the attacker in both training and games.
