Leeds United's new cult hero reveals physio room inspiration during darkest Elland Road moments — YEP 1/3/24

During a difficult first few months at Elland Road Georginio Rutter took inspiration from the attitude of Leeds United's longest-term injury victim, Stuart Dallas.

By Graham Smyth

Rutter arrived amid great fanfare in January 2023, thanks chiefly to the vast sums of money the Whites were willing to commit to his signing. The £35.5m investment broke the club's previous transfer record and heaped expectations on a 20-year-old who, unsurprisingly, struggled to make a significant impact in a struggling team. Successive managers struggled to find a place for Rutter in their team and Sam Allardyce appeared to write the youngster off entirely as an option for the relegation dog fight, insisting he was 'one for next season' before performing a complete about face on the final day of the season and granting a 30-minute substitute appearance as Leeds went down.

Things could not be more different, now, for Rutter. Of Leeds' 33 Championship fixtures this season he has started 32, scoring six goals, adding 13 assists and creating chances galore. His creativity has not only played a huge part in the Whites' promotion challenge, it has endeared him to fans. That and a personality that has shone ever brighter as the Frenchman has made himself more and more at home.

In the summer, when it would have been easy to pull the plug on his English football experiment and request a move away to avoid a drop into the second tier, Rutter thought only of staying put. He still clung to whatever self confidence remained, but could not have dreamed that things would turn out as well as they have under Daniel Farke.

"I don't know exactly [if I could have seen this coming] because I knew what I could do, I know what I can do on the pitch but last year was difficult because I didn't play," he said. "When you don't play, it's difficult to see the future. When I was in Norway [in pre-season] I wanted to play my football and the boss gave me confidence. I wanted to give my best to him because he gave me confidence. I didn't know I would be like this today. I've done some assists this year and before it was not my thing, more goals than assists. I'm happy but you have to stay focused to the end."

Beyond Farke's input, which has obviously been considerable given the growth in Rutter's confidence and a transition to a new role as a number 10, Rutter has had help from his peers. When he first arrived he was almost always seen with fellow youngsters Willy Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville. This season, from an early stage, it was noticeable how much more Rutter was interacting with everyone else in the squad. An impressive and improved grasp of English will have helped, but so too have individuals like Stuart Dallas.

The Northern Irishman, 11 years Rutter's senior, has had an impact without knowing it, by dealing with his own difficulties in a way that left an impression. Dallas is approaching two years out of action after fracturing his femur in a horror collision with Jack Grealish, but is often the first to congratulate Rutter and the others as they come back down the tunnel with another win. "He helped me a lot," said Rutter. "When I see him in the physio room and he doesn't play, I'm a bit sad for him. When you're a player sometimes when you don't play you're angry, you're in a bad mood. Me last year sometimes I was in a bad mood but then I saw him. I would say 'I don't play but this guy, he doesn't play and he says nothing.' He speaks with me a lot, not only Stuart, lots of players, but you know when your confidence is down and someone speaks to you and gives you confidence, what can I say? He's a great guy. I hope for him he can play soon."

Leeds fans are hoping to see Rutter play soon, too. He sat out the mid-week trip to Chelsea in the FA Cup due to a hip issue and for the first time experienced what it is like to watch Leeds United on television. It is not something he's keen to do again.

"I feel better, I played in training but I need to speak with the coaches, the physio, but I feel better so it's good news," he said. "It's the first time I see Leeds on my TV. I can't stay on my sofa, I stand up. It's like frustration. Sometimes a player doesn't play and says they don't want to watch. I'm a bit like, I don't want to leave them [the team] alone, not alone, but without me. I was a bit disappointed but it's football you know. I was a bit nervous, I don't like it when I don't play. I think the team did very well against Chelsea, so we can be happy. I know we're out of this cup but now we need to be focused on the league. I think we're ready to give everything because we only have 12 games - it's a lot but not a lot. Now I hope I'm ready for Huddersfield."

Rutter was speaking to the YEP at Thorp Arch on Thursday afternoon after meeting his compatriots and Leeds Rhinos players Justin Sangare and Mika Goudemand to promote the 2024 Superleague Magic Weekend, which takes place at Elland Road on August 17th to 18th.