Ex-spiller: Caleb Ekuban

[flynn]

Sy yes Ekuban gjorde en solid kamp. 2 omgang var spesielt bra. Jobber veldig bra defensivt også.

Etter min mening så var han svært svak i første omgang. Nesten ikke involvert, og ikke på nett med medspillerne. To tre ganger ble han spilt på som møtespiss, men han så ut til å ha slått rot i gresset. Etter pause var han friskere, og viste i glimt at an har noe å by på. En flott målgivende, og en meget god kontrollert avslutning kronet dagen hans. Summa summarum: han kan være god cover for Wood, men han har mye å lære.

flynn

[Promotion 2010]

Leeds United: Caleb Ekuban content to bide his time and earn a place in the first team

Published: 06:00 Saturday 12 August 2017
Caleb Ekuban celebrates his first Leeds goal against Port Vale.
Caleb Ekuban celebrates his first Leeds goal against Port Vale.
Caleb Ekuban’s first Leeds United goal will be a footnote in the story of Samuel Saiz’s debut but Wednesday was a night they should both remember. Saiz broke cover with a dreamy hat-trick and Ekuban got up and running by rounding off a League Cup win against Port Vale.


Saiz wrote the headlines, the first Leeds player since Carl Shutt in 1989 to score three times on his maiden appearance, but Thomas Christiansen was quietly pleased to see Ekuban finish off a late counter-attack, set up by Gianni Alioski and a clever step-over from Saiz.

Caleb Ekuban.
Caleb Ekuban.
“I was a striker when I played,” United’s head coach said. “For a striker, the thing you’ll always be measured on is goals and when you score you get confidence. This is good.”

Of all Leeds’ many signings this summer, Ekuban is arguably the one with most acclimatising to do. Brought in from Chievo for £500,000, he was playing in Albania’s top division last season after being sent on loan from Italy. His prior experience came in Italy’s lower leagues. The weather in Leeds, unusually wet and not particularly warm, has been a shock â€" “I’m the kind of person who if it’s raining I’m down but if the sun is up I’m high!” â€" and life for Ekuban at Elland Road might prove to be a slow burn.

He understood when he arrived last month that Chris Wood, United’s player-of-the-year and goalscoring machine, was at the top of the food chain at Leeds. Wood started the first game of the new season at Bolton Wanderers last weekend, scoring in a 3-2 win, and will nudge Ekuban back to the bench for today’s meeting with Preston North End.

Ekuban plans to challenge Wood long term but the Ghanaian is happy in the meantime to take an education from him. “When I signed here the first thing they told me was that last year he scored 30 goals,” Ekuban said. “I said ‘wow.’ I’m trying to learn as much as possible in training from him because he knows how to play, he knows how to move.

Caleb Ekuban, right.
Caleb Ekuban, right.
“From him I can achieve more and become a better player. He’s a smart striker who can hide from a defence but then, in a second, get out.

“(On Wednesday) I came up with a goal and this must be just the start. It’s a long season, I signed a long contract so this is just the beginning. I hope to achieve a lot.”

Ekuban admitted to feeling nervous in the first half against Port Vale, his competitive debut for Leeds, but by full-time there was more to his performance than his low, 84th-minute finish. The striker’s interplay and back-heel set up the third of Saiz’s goals, allowing the Spaniard to complete his hat-trick with a top corner strike in front of the Kop.

“Samuel was amazing,” Ekuban said. “He was all over the pitch and really deserved his hat-trick. It wasn’t just the goals. He can see any of us when we’re moving and he gives you the pass that no-one expects.

“In the first half I was quite nervous and I don’t know even why but in the second half I started to feel loose and I started playing. Then the goal came. I was happy.”

Ekuban took nine appearances to find the net for Partizani Tirana in Albania but when the goals began to come, they came in a flood. He finished last season as the division’s second-highest scorer with 17, behind Kukesi’s Croatian forward Pero Pejic, and played in the qualifying stages of the Champions League and the Europa League. Tirana, who finished second behind Kukesi, saw off Ferencvaros in the Champions League but were eliminated before the group stages by Red Bull Salzburg.

“This is a good step up for me but I want to settle down slowly,” Ekuban said. “Let’s see if I can make that step.

“Last year we (Tirana) played against top teams in the Champions League. We competed well but they were too good.

“I learned something from those games. When you have the ball, you have to secure it in every way and do the same in every position on the pitch. A lost ball can become a goal very quickly. That’s what I learned. I need to do the same here because the defenders in the Championship are top defenders. They don’t give you opportunities. I’m trying to learn this.”

Christiansen’s background is that of a striker, one who top-scored for Vfl Bochum in Germany’s Bundesliga in 2003. Ekuban is something of a project for him: a striker with pace, strength and raw potential who requires some moulding for the English game.

“He’s trying to let me understand when to move on the pitch, when to go long and when to come to receive the ball,” Ekuban said. “I’m starting to achieve the kind of movement he wants, to help the team to have more space and more width.”

Rivalling Wood for a starting place is nonetheless a big ask. United’s New Zealand international picked up where he left off last season at Bolton, scoring one goal and assisting another in a 3-2 win. Christiansen rested Wood against Port Vale on Wednesday, holding him back ahead of a meeting with Preston tomorrow which might produce a sell-out crowd at Elland Road.

Christiansen’s first competitive week as head coach has been a healthy one, fuelling already high levels of optimism at Leeds. Ekuban sees today’s fixture as another step up. “It’s more important than what we just did (against Port Vale) and what we did last Sunday,” he said.

“We’ve got to impress our own fans here at Elland Road and if we can then it will be another step to show that this can be ‘the’ year.”

[Promotion 2010]

Hay
From Christiansen - no full diagnosis on Ekuban injury but said it's an issue with a bone in his foot. #lufc

[Bjorn]

Hay
From Christiansen - no full diagnosis on Ekuban injury but said it's an issue with a bone in his foot. #lufc

Ser man klippet hvor Ekuban sitter på gresset for behandling så kan man se at han sier 'my foot, my foot'. Redd det er en fraktur i et ben i foten desverre.

[Cherry]

Hay
From Christiansen - no full diagnosis on Ekuban injury but said it's an issue with a bone in his foot. #lufc

Ser man klippet hvor Ekuban sitter på gresset for behandling så kan man se at han sier 'my foot, my foot'. Redd det er en fraktur i et ben i foten desverre.

Da bør vi beholde Doukara, og ha minst 2 spisser til...

[Asbjørn]

Phil Hay‏ @PhilHayYEP  27m
27 minutes ago

Anita's injury doesn't seem to be serious. Christiansen said he should be available for Forest. No update on Ekuban. #lufc
11 replies
G E O R G E  

Replying to @PhilHayYEP
He's On Crutches

[Promotion 2010]

Phil Hay‏ @PhilHayYEP  27m
27 minutes ago

Anita's injury doesn't seem to be serious. Christiansen said he should be available for Forest. No update on Ekuban. #lufc
11 replies
G E O R G E 

Replying to @PhilHayYEP
He's On Crutches

Disse pinglene er ofte på krykker, så vi får se! 

[Bromancer]

Auda, liker ikke det bildet. Situasjonen minner meg veldig om da jeg brakk et mellomfotbein i fjor. 6 uker med gips + etpar måneder før man kan bruke beinet til noe særlig annet enn bare å gå på. Uansett uflaks for Ekuban som virkelig hadde sjansen til å få vist seg fram og bli matchfit nå som Wood er vekk.

[Torpe-do]

Auda, liker ikke det bildet. Situasjonen minner meg veldig om da jeg brakk et mellomfotbein i fjor. 6 uker med gips + etpar måneder før man kan bruke beinet til noe særlig annet enn bare å gå på. Uansett uflaks for Ekuban som virkelig hadde sjansen til å få vist seg fram og bli matchfit nå som Wood er vekk.

Ja, dette må være sykt frustrerende for Ekuban. Enerspissen solgt - Doukara solgt - Antonsson ut på lån / ut i kulden.

[Asbjørn]

Lee Sobot‏ 
@LeeSobotYEP
Following
Ghanaian media reporting that Caleb Ekuban is to have surgery on his foot injury. #lufc

[Promotion 2010]

Lee Sobot

Ghanaian media reporting that Caleb Ekuban is to have surgery on his foot injury. #lufc

[Promotion 2010]

Ekuban's operation looks to have been a success. #lufc

[Asbjørn]

Lee Sobot

Ghanaian media reporting that Caleb Ekuban is to have surgery on his foot injury. #lufc

...og den gikk visst bra

http://ghanasoccernet.com/leeds-united-striker-caleb-ekuban-undergoes-successful-surgery

[Promotion 2010]

Lee Sobot

Ghanaian media reporting that Caleb Ekuban is to have surgery on his foot injury. #lufc

...og den gikk visst bra

http://ghanasoccernet.com/leeds-united-striker-caleb-ekuban-undergoes-successful-surgery

"But a clash with an opposing defender means he has now gone through the knife and will spend some considerable amount of time out of the field."

[RoarG]

4-8 uker i opptrening venter.
http://futnsoccer.com/2017/09/01/leeds-united-boost-as-striker-reportedly-undergoes-successful-surgery/

[auren]

Ser ut til å bli en stund ute dessverre... :

Phil Hay
@PhilHayYEP
·
4m
Bad news for Ekuban - on crutches and in a protective boot. Christiansen fears it’s the same injury. #lufc

auren

[raggen]

neiiiiiiiii... dette var da triste nyheter

[Budda]

Kjipt. Likte det jeg så etter returen


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jon R]

Kjipt. Likte det jeg så etter returen


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Kjipt men akkurat idag snudde kampen når han gikk ut.

[Cherry]

Ser ut til å bli en stund ute dessverre... :

Phil Hay
@PhilHayYEP
·
4m
Bad news for Ekuban - on crutches and in a protective boot. Christiansen fears it’s the same injury. #lufc

auren

Merkelig skade, var vel bein inne i foten/ vrist sist.
Så ikke noe ift takling.
Den enes' ...... åsså' videre... bra timing for Cibicki!

[enur]

Ser ut til å bli en stund ute dessverre... :

Phil Hay
@PhilHayYEP
·
4m
Bad news for Ekuban - on crutches and in a protective boot. Christiansen fears it’s the same injury. #lufc

auren

Kan se ut som vi trenger en ny spiss etterhvert. Grot er neppe god nok, og med skadeutsatte Ekuban og Lasogga, står vi kanskje bare igjen med Roofe.

[B_Ød]

Dumt dette...

[Promotion 2010]

Leeds United’s luckless Caleb Ekuban set for further spell on sidelines

Phil Hay
Published: 19:32 Sunday 10 December 2017
Updated: 11:13 Monday 11 December 2017
CALEB EKUBAN is awaiting the verdict on another foot injury amid concerns at Leeds United that the striker has suffered a recurrence of the broken bone which forced him to miss three months of the season.


READ MORE - Player ratings: Who was Leeds’ leading man in win over QPR?



Ekuban is due to undergo a scan today after being substituted during the first half of Leeds’ 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.


The striker was withdrawn on 38 minutes having signalled his discomfort to head coach Thomas Christiansen and called for treatment. He left Loftus Road on crutches and with his injured foot in a protective boot.

The damage appeared to occur off the ball in a repeat of the setback which interrupted Ekuban’s campaign in the opening weeks of the Championship season.

United were forced to send Ekuban for surgery after the former Chievo forward pulled up with a broken foot bone during a 2-0 win at Sunderland on August 19. He returned exactly three months later in a 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough.


His form since his comeback earned him a run of starts under Thomas Christiansen, including one at QPR, but United’s head coach feared Ekuban had aggravated his original injury.

“I believe so,” Christiansen said. “I’m not a doctor, I cannot say for sure, but it looks like it could be the same.


“He’s had very good performances and he’s helped the team to take good points. It’s a shame he got injured and we’re going to see in the next few days what he has.”

Christiansen has managed a lengthy absentee list in the past month and Pablo Hernandez, Pierre-Michel Lasogga and Stuart Dallas were all missing from his squad at Loftus Road. Jay-Roy Grot also failed to make the trip with a problem suffered in training.

Caleb Ekuban

READ MORE - Hat-trick hero Roofe won’t demand role as first-choice striker

READ MORE - Phil Hay’s Big Match Verdict - Kemar brings roof in on sorry Rangers


Kemar Roofe, however, came up with his second hat-trick of the season on Saturday and Pawel Cibicki ended a frustrating wait for his league debut with a lively display after replacing Ekuban before half-time.

Christiansen said: “I have some injuries but I put in Pawel and when you see his performance it means that on the bench we have players who are ready.” Asked which of his injured crop were likely to return against Norwich City this weekend, the United boss said: “Some of them will be back for sure.”

He’s had very good performances and he’s helped the team to take good points. It’s a shame he got injured and we’re going to see in the next few days what he has.

Leeds United head coach, Thomas Christiansen.
The numbers in the treatment room at Elland Road have not affected a sustained recovery by Leeds since the club’s run of seven defeats in nine matches.

Christiansen’s side have won three of their last five games, cutting the gap to the play-offs to four points and closing in on out-of-form Sheffield United.

“We have to look at ourselves,” Christiansen said. “The teams (above Leeds) know about us and we know about the other teams in the league. We’re not the team to beat but we’re one of them. We have to focus on ourselves. If we do things right we’ll be up there.


“I had belief in the team when we were in the top six and when we were out of it. We had a bad run but this is a situation which will happen for all teams during the season and I believe we’re almost out of it.

“We’ve had five games with good performances. In only one of them (a 4-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers) we didn’t take anything positive from. I’m very pleased.”

[auren]

@PhilHayYEP
Update on Ekuban - he's looking at a six-week absence. Doesn't need surgery but will be missing until the end of January. #lufc

auren

[Torpe-do]

@PhilHayYEP
Update on Ekuban - he's looking at a six-week absence. Doesn't need surgery but will be missing until the end of January. #lufc

auren

Blessing in disguise? Det blir rom for Cibicki i startelleveren, der han blomstrer, og Roofe setter fyr på spissrollen?

Ønsketenking kanskje...

[stian]

@PhilHayYEP
Update on Ekuban - he's looking at a six-week absence. Doesn't need surgery but will be missing until the end of January. #lufc

auren

Blessing in disguise? Det blir rom for Cibicki i startelleveren, der han blomstrer, og Roofe setter fyr på spissrollen?

Ønsketenking kanskje...

Helt enig. Skader åpner nye muligheter, og det er da det er spennende med mange unge talenter i stallen. Cibicki kan fort slå gjennom som en direkte følge av skaden til Ekuban. Hvis Roofe i tillegg får et nytt løft vil det være gull verdt.

[DenHviteYeboah]

Ekuban har skuffet meg stort. er jo fullstendig vaksinert mot å score Har sagt det hundre ganger før: gode spisser scorer enkelte ganger mål ut av ingenting. Ekuban scorer ikke mål samme hvem som spiller rundt ham eller hvem som er motstander. Bare å låne han ut til en L2 klubb, kanskje han klarer å score der

[Bjorn]

Ekuban har skuffet meg stort. er jo fullstendig vaksinert mot å score Har sagt det hundre ganger før: gode spisser scorer enkelte ganger mål ut av ingenting. Ekuban scorer ikke mål samme hvem som spiller rundt ham eller hvem som er motstander. Bare å låne han ut til en L2 klubb, kanskje han klarer å score der

Bortsett fra målet han scoret tidlig i sesongen i cupen, så var han vel nærmere i helgen enn på lenge. Han putter sikkert noen nå på slutten om han får sjansen til det. Mark my words!  (liten risiko for stor fallhøyde her.. )

[Annesj]

Ekuban har skuffet meg stort. er jo fullstendig vaksinert mot å score Har sagt det hundre ganger før: gode spisser scorer enkelte ganger mål ut av ingenting. Ekuban scorer ikke mål samme hvem som spiller rundt ham eller hvem som er motstander. Bare å låne han ut til en L2 klubb, kanskje han klarer å score der

Bortsett fra målet han scoret tidlig i sesongen i cupen, så var han vel nærmere i helgen enn på lenge. Han putter sikkert noen nå på slutten om han får sjansen til det. Mark my words!  (liten risiko for stor fallhøyde her.. )

Vært mye skadet da.

[Kato]

Ekuban har skuffet meg stort. er jo fullstendig vaksinert mot å score Har sagt det hundre ganger før: gode spisser scorer enkelte ganger mål ut av ingenting. Ekuban scorer ikke mål samme hvem som spiller rundt ham eller hvem som er motstander. Bare å låne han ut til en L2 klubb, kanskje han klarer å score der

Bortsett fra målet han scoret tidlig i sesongen i cupen, så var han vel nærmere i helgen enn på lenge. Han putter sikkert noen nå på slutten om han får sjansen til det. Mark my words!  (liten risiko for stor fallhøyde her.. )

Vært mye skadet da.

Jeg tror potensialet for en god championship-spiss er der. Kamptrening, fitness, selvtillit. Ekuban kan ha det i seg.