Pascal Struijk issues brutal verdict on his own display in Leeds draw

Add as preferred source on Google

Pascal Struijk has offered a surprising verdict of his own performance during Leeds United’s draw with Manchester United on Sunday to LUTV.

With Liam Cooper still suspended, Struijk kept his place against Diego Llorente for the weekend’s game.

The fixture came after Leeds secured a point against Liverpool earlier in the week. And once again, Marcelo Bielsa’s side avoided defeat, this time against one of the league’s most in-form teams.

It is probably fair to say that Manchester United were the better side for large parts of the clash. Leeds were certainly unable to produce too much of their best football in the stalemate.

But the Whites did prevent the visitors from creating many clear-cut chances. Illan Meslier certainly seemed to have a quiet afternoon between the sticks.

And that was largely down to the performance from the likes of Llorente, Kalvin Phillips and Struijk. The trio were outstanding in preventing the away side from turning any pressure into genuine opportunities.

The three players really seemed to shine. But Struijk himself suggested following the game that he was not so pleased with his own performance.

“I’m always very critical towards myself so I didn’t think my first-half was too good,” he told LUTV. “But second-half, I think I did well, defensively especially. But still, I wanted to do better on the ball.”

It is surprising that Struijk has been so harsh on himself. Bielsa himself, agreed with the notion that he was immense (via Leeds Live).

But it may encourage Leeds supporters that he is not getting carried away.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable first year in the Premier League. Few could have imagined just how important he would prove to be.

But Struijk obviously feels that there is a lot more to come. Based on the form he has shown, that is an incredibly exciting thought.