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Pascal Struijk reveals chat with Louis van Gaal as defender continues to shine at Leeds United
Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk has revealed that he held an “interesting” chat with Louis van Gaal prior to the World Cup.
The Dutch defender is uncapped at the senior level but he has already played for the Netherlands Under 17s.
He made the long list that Van Gaal provisionally picked, but he was not in the final 26-member squad selected by the legendary Euro manager.
The Dutch manager took time out of his preparation for the World Cup to give Struijk a call, but the conversation is private.
“Just before the World Cup he was going to call the people that weren’t in the squad and I spoke to him,” said Struijk, as quoted by Yorkshire Evening Post.
“It was interesting, but that’s something I would like to keep between us.”
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Bright future
Struijk is a fantastic player and he has got a bright future ahead of him.
While he has missed this edition of the World Cup, the 23-year-old will hope that he can feature in the next edition if he keeps on performing well.
The Whites defender has progressed immensely in the past two years. Marcelo Bielsa spotted his talent and the Argentine used him regularly, either in central defence or in defensive midfield.
It became very clear that Struijk is a natural defender, and he has shown leadership qualities at the back with some matured performances.
Under Jesse Marsch, Struijk played as a left-back this season and started in 13 games, where he scored one goal and provided one assist in the league.
Currently, he is watching the World Cup as a fan, and surely he must be enjoying the success of his national team.
The Oranje has booked a place in the final eight of the tournament after beating the USA 3-1 on Saturday [3 December].
In other Leeds United news, the Whites are aiming to get this “human wrecking ball” out of Elland Road in January.