Leeds United loanee Lucas Perri under pressure after difficult Torino start

Leeds United loanee Lucas Perri is already facing pressure at Torino after a difficult start to his spell in Italy.

The Brazilian goalkeeper joined the Serie A club on loan during the summer, with Torino holding an option to make the transfer permanent.

However, Perri has now made costly mistakes across his opening three appearances in all competitions, leaving manager Ignazio Abate calling for improvement.

His latest error came against Roma on Monday, when a mistake in possession contributed to former Aston Villa forward Donyell Malen opening the scoring.

Perri's problems did not begin against Roma.

An error against Monza in the Coppa Italia contributed to Torino being eliminated from the competition, while he also made a shot-stopping mistake against Fiorentina despite his side ultimately winning the match.

The Italian media had previously backed Perri to recover from those early problems, while Abate's decision to continue selecting the 28-year-old demonstrated his confidence in the goalkeeper.

But another difficult moment against Roma has increased the scrutiny.

With Torino struggling for results themselves, individual mistakes are becoming increasingly costly.

Abate has now publicly addressed Perri's form and made clear that improvements are required.

“Perri is a guy who needs to get back into top form,” the Torino manager said. “He needs to improve his decision-making, and he will certainly improve.”

Despite the criticism, Abate does not appear ready to abandon either Perri or his preferred style of play.

“We won’t back down one millimetre in our approach because it can give you an advantage in the long run,” he added. “We need to reduce individual errors, otherwise it’s difficult to always fall behind.”

The comments represent both a warning and a show of support.

Abate clearly expects better decision-making from Perri, but his insistence that the goalkeeper “will certainly improve” suggests his starting position is not necessarily under immediate threat.

The situation will also be of interest at Elland Road.

Torino have won only one of their opening four matches, increasing the pressure on Abate to produce results and potentially reducing the patience available for repeated individual mistakes.

For Leeds, Perri's performances also carry longer-term significance because Torino have an option to buy the goalkeeper as part of his loan agreement.

A successful season in Italy could therefore provide Perri with a permanent route away from Leeds while also allowing the Yorkshire club to resolve his future.

For that to happen, though, the Brazilian needs to quickly rediscover his best form and ensure his early errors do not develop into a recurring problem.

Perri's immediate challenge is to respond to Abate's warning and rebuild confidence after a difficult opening three appearances.

Leeds will have reason to monitor his progress throughout the season. If Perri establishes himself and convinces Torino to activate their purchase option, the loan could still prove beneficial for all parties. Continued mistakes, however, could leave his long-term future unresolved.