Micah Richards gushes over ‘excellent’ Leeds United star Joel Piroe after Elland Road performances
Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards were asked which player outside of the Premier League they would like to see in the top division, and Richards named Leeds United star Joel Piroe as his choice.
The former Manchester City defender gushed over the forward, claiming his ability to play both as a number-nine and a number-ten gives him something different.
Richards also explained that Piroe’s intelligence and quality in possession have made him stand out so far this season at Elland Road as Leeds compete towards the top of the Championship.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast [20 December], Richards shared: “I like Piroe at Leeds. He’s like a striker or a number ten.
“He’s really intelligent, really good on the ball, can play number ten, can play number nine. He links the play well and he’s been excellent for Leeds this season.”
Eye-catching performances
While Piroe’s performances in a Leeds shirt may have come in for some criticism lately, his form overall this season has caught the eye of many outside of Elland Road and brought attention to how much of a top player he really is.
After two fantastic goalscoring seasons with Swansea, he was chosen as the man to lead the line for Daniel Farke’s rebuilt Leeds side, and his eight Championship goals so far this season from a slightly different role have proved crucial to their success.
As Richards says, the ability to play both as a number ten and an out-and-out striker has given Farke options when it comes to picking his teams, with Piroe often slotting in behind Georginio Rutter to arrive later into the box from deep positions and cause havoc for defences.
While he may be on a slightly barren run in terms of goalscoring at the moment, leading to questions over his position, there is no doubt that everything Richards singled him out for remains true and he should be appreciated not just by those at Leeds but outside too.
In other Leeds United news, Jesse Marsch has hit out at Andrea Radrizzani after what happened at Leeds.