Steve Evans has told the Yorkshire Evening Post that he will continue to pick Leeds United teams on form, rather than reputations.
Evans stuck with Scott Wootton at right-back for Leeds’ most recent fixture against Charlton Athletic, despite the return of Gaetano Berardi from suspension.
And although the selection choice was a controversial one with supporters, the 53-year-old boss feels that he made the right decision.
“I felt as a manager that if you produce a good performance and the team wins, you play,” he said.
“If I’d taken Scott out then I should have taken Giuseppe Bellusci out at Huddersfield (last month) and played Sol Bamba.
“If you earn the right to keep the shirt it shouldn’t be about reputation. The great players at Leeds aren’t here any more and to be keeping the shirt when you don’t play well is based on being a great player. So the decision was easy.”
Wootton has come in for plenty of criticism this season, but Leeds did beat Hull City with him in their team.
The former Manchester United man put in an accomplished performance against the Tigers, and Evans clearly felt that dropping him would have been harsh.
In the end, Berardi came on at Charlton in the 47th minute after Wootton picked up a yellow card.
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