Phil Hay tips Struijk to be long-term Cooper successor at Leeds United
Pascal Struijk is making himself look more and more like a potential successor for Liam Cooper in the Leeds United defence, according to Phil Hay.
Struijk, 21, has taken a lot of Leeds fans by surprise this season due to the level of game-time he’s been handed and the quality of his performances in the Premier League.
He’s played 22 times in England’s top-flight despite only appearing five times in the Championship.
Struijk’s displays have impressed The Athletic’s Phil Hay, who reckons the Belgian youngster could step in for club captain Cooper in the future.
Speaking on The Phil Hay Show podcast, Hay said: “Struijk just looks more and more impressive and I think if you were starting to wonder at any point if there was a long-term successor to Liam Cooper on the left side of the defence, he’s starting to look like he absolutely could be at this level.”
Injury issues telling for Coops
We’ve seen Cooper miss a lot of football this season due to injuries.
The 29-year-old skipper has made 23 Premier League appearances for Leeds this season but the Marcelo Bielsa favourite has had four different spells on the sidelines with short-term injury issues before his current three-match ban.
Struijk’s arguably been more impressive than Cooper this season.
Like the Scot, Struijk is left-footed and good in the air but he’s also arguably better with the ball at his feet and is capable of playing left-back and in a defensive midfield role if needed.
In terms of versatility, Struijk is definitely a better choice for Bielsa.
But the Argentine is clearly a big fan of Cooper, playing him whenever he can, even when he has Germany and Spain internationals to select in his defence.
Struijk’s rise has been impressive and completely out of the blue.
Let’s hope it continues.
In other Leeds United news, this Whites star is set to be offered a deal that will double his wages.