Crysencio Summerville’s rise at Leeds United should not come as a surprise to anyone, with the player having shone from an early age.
That’s according to Feyenoord’s former head of education Richard Grootscholten, who says the forward “dripped” talent from a young age.
Summerville has been at Leeds since joining their U21 set up in a €1.5m deal from Feyenoord in September 2020, having spent the entirety of his career at the Dutch club before that.
He was handed his Leeds debut by Marcelo Bielsa in September 2021 and finished the 2021/22 campaign with six appearances in the Premier League to his name.
This season has really seen him kick on, first under Jesse Marsch and then replacement Javi Gracia, with 20 appearances in the Premier League to date.
That has included a superb run back in October that saw him scoring in four straight games, including a superb late winner in a win over Liverpool at Anfield.
Alongside the likes of Wilfried Gnonto he appears to be a Leeds star in the making, something that has not come as a surprise to Grootscholten.
“Gosh, what a talent. It really dripped of that,” 1908 report him saying.
“That he had talent, everyone saw that. There were so many games he decided. We played against Real Madrid in a final in Zagreb, with Dirk Kuyt as coach.
“He single-handedly decided that one with a world-class goal. With his takeovers and speed forward. He was so decisive.
“That played into it with him in youth training, so a number of things didn’t go as well. There were a few times some problems with him. At one point, Feyenoord decided to rent him out and later sell him.
“At some point it adds up. PSV had that with Memphis Depay, but there the management said to all the trainers; ‘Whatever happens, he won’t go out. This year he will keep playing because after that he will be worth a lot of money’.
“But how far can you go in that? That didn’t happen at Feyenoord then. And I think that’s right too. That he is showing this now, I am not surprised.”
