Marcelo Bielsa faces tough Pascal Struijk decision for Leeds’s next clash

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Marcelo Bielsa has rarely made changes to his Leeds United starting lineups unless his hand has been forced by injuries and suspensions.

Remarkably, Bielsa is still yet to have a full squad available to him since he arrived at Leeds. And yet, he has still tended to limit the number of changes he has made.

Few have been dropped during his time in charge. So it should come as absolutely no surprise if Leeds lineup against Leicester City on Monday with exactly the same side that started at Aston Villa last week.

But perhaps there may be one player who started at Villa Park who faces a slightly more anxious wait than most of his teammates.

Pascal Struijk was replaced after just 21 minutes against the Villans. He picked up an early yellow card, and then committed another foul shortly after.

That prompted Bielsa to replace Struijk with Jamie Shackleton. Shackleton played as an eight, with Mateusz Klich dropping slightly deeper.

And ultimately, it proved to be an incredible night for Leeds. A stunning second-half display saw the Whites win 3-0.

Patrick Bamford stole the headlines with his hat-trick. But Klich and Shackleton were outstanding. Klich, in particular, helped ensure that the likes of Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins barely got a sniff.

Their displays arguably leave Bielsa with a real selection headache. It would be harsh on Struijk. But there is surely a chance that Klich could start in the deeper role usually occupied by Kalvin Phillips, with Shackleton replacing the 21-year-old.

The Dutchman is in good company when it comes to being replaced by Bielsa early on. Phillips has also been withdrawn in the first-half during the early stages of his tenure after picking up early yellow cards.

It is therefore, unlikely to be held against Struijk that Friday did not exactly go to plan for him. But his early exit certainly opened the door for his teammate to show Bielsa why he must now consider making a rare change to his lineup.