Sam Allardyce appeared confused as to why striker Wilfried Gnonto was not featuring more regularly for Leeds under Javi Gracia when he featured on a podcast last week.
On his No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce seemed bemused that the Italian hitman was not playing for the Whites as they bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The former England boss has agreed to return to management with the Elland Road outfit, with Spanish boss Gracia to be sacked after a disastrous spell in charge of the Yorkshire club, with chief Victor Orta also axed.
He and Natalie Pike were joined by ex-Leeds star Jermaine Beckford, who argued that the absence of the likes of Gnonto was one of the biggest issues with Gracia's tenure in recent weeks.
'There are a couple of players who in my opinion should be playing. Wilfried Gnonto, the young Italian kid. Fantastic. He's so positive, so driven, so direct with the ball, he gets the play up the field and he doesn't mind defending as well,' he began.
And when he began to discuss the fact that the youngster had not come off the bench against Leicester in a must-win clash, Allardyce interjected to ask 'Why?'.
'I don't know, I've spoken to him directly about it and he doesn't know, or he does know and he doesn't want to tell me because of my position in the media' responded Beckford.
Gnonto joined Leeds at the end of the last summer transfer window, and quickly endeared himself to the club's fanbase, becoming something of a cult hero.
He may have only managed six goal contributions in 20 Premier League appearances, but he has impressed fans with his energy and work-rate, in an otherwise lack-lustre season for the Whites.
However he struggled to break into Gracia's plans, managing 90 minutes just once, and having to settle for a series of substitute appearances in the club's battle against the drop.
Allardyce has made a name as one of English football's best 'firefighters' - managers brought in to stop the rot and keep clubs up ahead of the run-in.
The 68-year-old has been out of a job since leaving West Brom in 2021, but was quick to joke that he might have returned to the game sooner if he had been called 'Allardicio'.
He also hinted that it is perhaps less fashionable to hire a 'broad and a bit Midlands-stroke-North-Western' manager, claiming that he was disheartened to see Graham Potter's demise at Chelsea.
'If I was called Sam Allardicio, I would have been alright, no problems whatsoever,' the former Bolton, Crystal Palace and Blackburn manager quipped.
'So if my name was Allardicio and I spoke with a slight accent then I'd be fine, but being a bit broad and Midlands-stroke-North-Western, most of us managers get... That's why I was so disappointed with Graham (Potter) not being successful.
'Of course then Brendan fell away through I don't think any fault of his own, financially at the club Leicester had fallen on hard times.
'It does depend on how good you are, and how lucky you are to drop there at the right time. and build a football club.'