Ao Tanaka makes shock Leeds United admission – ‘I didn’t want to play’
Ao Tanaka has been sensational for Leeds United since he joined last summer.
Tanaka arrived from Fortuna Düsseldorf as an unknown commodity, but the Japanese midfielder quickly gained a reputation for being one of the 49ers’ best pieces of business.
Tanaka and Joe Rothwell formed an unlikely midfield duo for large spells of last season as Leeds won promotion to the Premier League, with the likes of Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev injured at various stages.
However, the 27-year-old’s recent admission about not wanting to play for Leeds during the promotion run-in will leave supporters stunned.
Ao Tanaka admits nerves affected him at the backend of last season
Tanaka proved he is Premier League quality during the win against Everton and has been a big miss in United’s midfield after going down injured against Arsenal.
However, with Tanaka on the bench against Fulham, there is hope amongst the Elland Road faithful that they will see their midfield metronome return to the starting XI sooner rather than later.
Speaking to GOAL Japan, Tanaka admitted that during the final two months of the season, as the race for promotion with Burnley and Sheffield United heated up, he was “so nervous” that he “didn’t want to play”.
“The last two months were really tough. Every week, I played while thinking that I didn’t want to play. If I played, there was a chance that we would lose points. I was so nervous that I thought, ‘I’ll do anything, just give me three points’”, Tanaka said.
“It’s not like a Championship ‘race’, it’s more like ‘heaven or hell’. Finishing third and not getting promoted is the same as finishing 18th. And if we get promoted, we’ll go to the Premier League, the dream stage of the world.”
Ao Tanaka dubbed a ‘top player’ by England international
Tanaka’s contribution to the Whites’ promotion cannot be underestimated, and the statistics back it up.
- Tanaka had seven goal contributions last season, with five goals and two assists
- Throughout the season, his average pass completion sat at 90 per cent
- Tanaka was also quality defensively, averaging 2.2 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game (Sofascore)
His performances did not just catch the eye of Leeds supporters, however, with Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice speaking highly of the United midfielder.
Speaking to Japanese outlet BS11, Rice had this to say about Tanaka back in May: “There’s a guy at Leeds, he’s an unbelievable player. Is it Tanaka?
“I watch the Championship all the time. Leeds is a massive club. It’s good to have them back. He’s been their Player of the Season, he’s a really good player, really energetic, really good on the ball.”
The Japan international seemingly has a tough task ahead of him to regain his place in the side; however, with Sean Longstaff impressing in his absence.
Whilst not being as technical as Tanaka, Longstaff’s work ethic and defensive work have been impressive, and with how stubborn Farke can be at times, there is a possibility we will have to wait a while to see Tanaka back in the team.
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