Crewe Alexandra head coach Lee Bell has revealed that he has been “really impressed” with loan signing Lewis Leigh in training following his move from Preston North End in January.
Leigh failed to make an appearance for the Lilywhites in the Championship earlier in the campaign, although he did start for the club during an EFL Cup match against Salford City back in August despite Ryan Lowe’s side losing on penalties in the end.
Nevertheless, at the beginning of September, it was announced that the midfielder had joined non-league outfit Bromley on a loan deal until January. Upon return to Deepdale, the 20-year-old was quickly snapped up by Crewe Alexandra, having impressed manager Bell.
Leigh has had to be patient with his chances in the team, making a handful of appearances as a substitute before Bell named him in the starting lineup for the first time on Saturday in a 1-1 draw with fellow promotion-hopefuls AFC Wimbledon.
During the game, the Preston academy product registered an assist for Rio Adebisi’s equaliser inside the first 15 minutes. Ultimately, the Alex failed to make the most of their chances for the remainder of the game and missed out on a vital three points in the play-off race.
Pick that one out 🏹#CreweAlex pic.twitter.com/Y8E87kRxvH
— Crewe Alexandra (@crewealexfc) March 24, 2024
However, speaking to club media on Tuesday morning, Leigh’s manager admitted that the youngster has been “exceptional in training” and that his attitude will take him far in the game.
“I was really impressed with Lewis,” Bell said.
“His attitude has been excellent. He’s bought into the group ethos and he has been exceptional in training.
“He’s been mature and brilliant with the other players, it would have been easy to go the other way,” he continued.
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“His attitude will take the lad a long way in his career because you can see the obvious technical attributes too.
“I thought he played well and, hopefully, with more minutes under his belt, he can do even better.”
Writer’s View
Leigh was very impressive at the weekend in what was his first start for Crewe Alexandra this season. The North End loanee played in the number ’10’ position just behind striker Elliott Nevitt and recorded his first-ever assist in the EFL.
The Alex are on a poor run of form at the moment, picking up only one win in five matches but perhaps Leigh can be the spark that reignites the side’s push for a place in the automatic promotions spots as they currently sit five points behind Wrexham.
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