Levi Lumeka needs time to get up to speed with Leyton Orient’s tactics and the intensity of the National League before he features regularly for the O’s, according to Ross Embleton.

The versatile youngster joined Orient on a season-long loan from Premier League side Crystal Palace two weeks ago and went straight into the O’s squad for their game against Chesterfield.

He made his debut as a late substitute against Solihull Moors days later but hasn’t been included in the match-day squad by head coach Justin Edinburgh for Orient’s last two games against Halifax Town and Barnet following James Alabi’s return from suspension.

Lumeka could be seen training with the O’s fitness staff out on the pitch before Saturday’s game against Barnet and assistant coach Embleton says the Crystal Palace youngster needs time to adapt to ensure he’s ready to compete in the National League.

Embleton said: “I know Levi is someone who gets in amongst the goals. I know that sounds like an obvious thing to say because everyone does, but I know he’s been capable throughout academy football and under-23s football in front of goal.

“He’s scored a fair few goals during his time at Palace and I know coming through as a young player at Chelsea, that people who had seen him there have said that his finishing and goal-scoring is certainly an attribute of his. I know that he can play on both sides and got good energy and pace. You’ll see a wide player who can get up and down the pitch.

“It’s a big learning curve for anybody who’s coming out on loan from a Premier League club to the level we are at. It can open your eyes sometimes about how the other half of football go about the game and the first game he was involved, he didn’t get on against Chesterfield. It wasn’t the prettiest of performances but there was a lot more variation to football that he hadn’t seen before.

“We’re working hard with him to get him up to the intensity. Not just the intensity of how we play and train but it’s about getting him to understand what we’re about as a team and what’s important tactically, to make sure that when he’s ready to come into the team, he’s ready to perform at the level we need him to.”

Lumeka is highly rated by Crystal Palace and starred for their Under-23s last campaign, scoring 13 goals in 25 appearances.

That form meant the 19-year-old finished as top scorer for Palace’s Under-23s for a third straight season and he was handed his Eagles first-team debut by Frank de Boer against Burnley last year, a match which proved to be the Dutch manager’s last game in charge of the South London club.

His only other appearance for Palace came against Bristol City in the Carabao Cup in October 2017 and his temporary switch to the O’s is the first loan spell of his career.

Lumeka’s versatility is one of his key attributes, with the youngster capable of playing up front or out wide, but O’s fans can expect to see the 19-year-old racing up and down the flanks at Brisbane Road when given the chance by head coach Edinburgh.

Embleton said: “He (Lumeka) wasn’t a player we identified as a forward if I’m being brutally honest. When he was brought in, Josh Koroma had been playing as a centre forward so that’s one winger that has come out of the squad.

“Also we lost James Brophy to injury and it meant then, albeit that we had James Dayton and Jobi McAnff, that we felt a little bit light in the wide areas.

“He hasn’t been signed as someone who is going to play up front. Can it happen though? Certainly. If he’s capable, we’ll definitely give him an opportunity to do that. But our first thoughts and Levi’s as well, would be to go and play in a position where we’ve seen him the most and where he feels most comfortable.”