TBR View: Leeds must be relieved Pascal Struijk never left last summer amid loan reports

Add as preferred source on Google

A lot can happen in football during a year, something which has been proven by Leeds United youngster Pascal Struijk.

Struijk played five first-team games last season during the club’s promotion from the Championship and was a fringe player, but he’s turned out to be quite important in the Premier League.

The 21-year-old was linked with an exit from Elland Road last season on loan.

According to The Sun (23/8/2020), as quoted by The Boot Room, there were suggestions that he could leave on loan amid interest from Huddersfield Town.

But the left-footer ended up staying with the Whites last summer and has subsequently made 20 senior appearances already this season across all competitions.

He was introduced to the Leeds group as a defensive midfielder, but his best position is in the heart of the defence and it looks like long-term he’ll surely be a centre-back.

The £7,000-a-week (Spotrac) colossus is great in the air and composed on the ball, plus his versatility to play several positions makes him a perfect fit for manager Marcelo Bielsa.

A loan during the current 2020/21 campaign would have given Struijk the opportunity to play regular football, but with hindsight keeping him at Elland Road has proven to be the right choice and he’s been fast-tracked into more minutes due to injuries elsewhere in the squad.

Leeds may not have known about Struijk’s abilities in the Premier League for some time if he had gone on loan, so it looks like they got away with one as he’s now thriving.