Rio Ferdinand not happy with what one Leeds player did at Leicester

Rio Ferdinand has criticised Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk for the booking he received against Leicester on Saturday.

Jesse Marsch took charge of his first Whites game, away at the 2015-16 Premier League champions.

While Leeds were much more solid and played well, a lapse of concentration at the back cost them dear.

The Whites actually dominated for large parts of the game, though Kasper Schmeichel was in inspired form.

However, Leicester got the winner in the second half with their one moment of attacking quality.

Harvey Barnes exchanged passes with Kelechi Iheanacho before coolly slotting across Illan Meslier with a first-time finish.

The hosts picked the Leeds defence apart far too easily for their goal, and it proved the difference between the two sides.

Struijk made an error early on, not allowing himself enough space while marking Jamie Vardy.

The 22-year-old ended up in a footrace with the Foxes speedster and dragged him down, earning himself a booking.

Ferdinand, speaking on BT Sport‘s live coverage, wasn’t impressed by what Struijk did.

“As a defender, if you’re on the halfway line with Jamie Vardy, you know what you’re playing against,” he said.

“I don’t know why he’s playing in the same line as him when he’s not even quick. You’ve got to give yourself a yard or two to see ball and man.

“The moment you get into a foot race with this guy, it’s curtains, it’s over for you.”

Luckily, Struijk grew as the game went on, and soon helped Leeds dominate possession out from the back.

That’s the key thing – learning from mistakes and getting better over time.

Though Leeds lost, there were certainly a lot of positives from Marsch’s first game in charge.

And Struijk, who has developed well over the years, will hope to impress Marsch as he did with Marcelo Bielsa.

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