Angus Kinnear predicts ‘world-class’ Rodrigo will be Leeds United’s Player of the Season next year

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Angus Kinnear has told The Athletic that he expects Rodrigo will bounce back from a difficult first 12-months in England to become Leeds United’s Player of the Season next year.

The Whites broke their transfer record to bring Rodrigo to Elland Road last August, with the West Yorkshire outfit paying Valencia £26m (BBC) to sign the Spanish striker for their first campaign back as a Premier League side.

But Rodrigo has struggled to establish himself under Marcelo Bielsa during an injury-ravished campaign, with the 30-year-old starting just 12 of his 23 top-flight appearances and offering four goals plus one assist.

Rodrigo had scored 59 times and created a further 41 in 220 games across all competitions with Valencia, while finding the back of the net on 45 occasions and laying on 17 goals in 119 games for Benfica before moving to the La Liga outfit.

Kinnear expects to see an improved Rodrigo at Elland Road next season more akin to the one seen in Spain and Portugal, despite claims by 90min last month that the Whites are keen to cash in on the Brazil-born attacker.

“Nobody is doubting the impact Rodrigo is going to have,” Leeds’ Managing Director said on The Phil Hay Show. “We still think there is much more to come from Rodrigo. I would not be surprised if he is Player of The Season next year.

“He is an absolute top talent and I think if you look at Raphinha, Rodrigo and then the two centre-halves that we have brought, we put four world-class players into the heart of the Leeds United team.”

TBR’s view:

Rodrigo has shown flashes of his ability for Leeds since moving to England last summer, like last weekend when he came off the bench to score against Tottenham Hotspur during a 10-minute cameo and help clinch a 3-1 win over the north London side.

He also dazzled as Bielsa’s men dismantled West Bromwich Albion in December having been at the centre of the Whites’ attacks with a high intelligence to his actions, while thriving in tight pockets of space.

But there have also been some mighty lows along the way, like at Liverpool back at the start of the season when he struggled to get on the ball and gave away the winning penalty, and shied back into the shadows after a glaring miss at Brighton earlier this month.

If Bielsa can iron out the off days over the summer and Rodrigo can stay fit, then there should be little doubt in his intelligence resulting in a better player unlocking the route to goal at Elland Road next season. That is if he’s still there.