Daniel Farke heaps praise on ‘crucial’ Pascal Struijk after Leeds United change
Daniel Farke has heaped praise on “crucial” Leeds United star Pascal Struijk for how he has adapted to life under the German manager.
The 24-year-old defender has been an ever-present for the Whites so far this season, starting all 12 games in the Championship and has impressed at the heart of defence alongside Joe Rodon as Farke’s side has climbed to third in the league.
Struijk had struggled to perform consistently for Leeds in the Premier League with many wondering if he was good enough to feature regularly at Elland Road, but Farke has admitted he is incredibly happy with how the Dutchman has progressed this season.
As quoted by Phil Hay on Twitter (24 October) he said: “He adapted well to my demands and he’s played a crucial part. We don’t have to talk about his skills with the ball. I’m very pleased with his development.”
Under the radar
So much of the praise afforded to Leeds United this season has surrounded their attacking exploits and rightly so as the Whites have been one of the best teams in the Championship when going forward with the likes of Georginio Rutter, Joel Piroe and Crysencio Summerville.
But defensively they have been excellent so far this season and much of that has been down to the superb work of Struijk in the opening months of the campaign, both with and without the ball the 24-year-old has played his best football under Farke’s management.
Especially in possession, Struijk has been a force to be reckoned with and falls in the 91st percentile for passes complete per game and progressive passes per 90 minutes, when compared to his positional peers in England’s second tier [Fbref].
Alongside Rodon, the pair have formed an incredibly strong defensive partnership that is allowing the attacking talent ahead of them at Elland Road to truly flourish and should the Dutchman continue to improve under Farke’s management, he may well be able to find his feet in the Premier League should Leeds win promotion this season.
Hopefully, the mistakes will continue to stay out of the defender’s game in the coming weeks and if he’s able to pop up with a few more goals like he did against Southampton it could be a huge help to the Whites’ promotion push.
In other Leeds United news, an offer above £30 million could see the Whites remove their “not for sale” stance on Wilfried Gnonto