Neil Champney

Mon 13 July 2020 21:00, UK

If Leeds United do secure promotion in the next few weeks, they will definitely have to give a huge thanks to Pablo Hernandez.

The little magician has been on fire since the restart, hitting two goals and two assists in five substitute appearances.

Of course, his most recent act of heroism was the last gasp winner against Swansea City on Sunday afternoon – a strike that may well have just dragged Leeds to the brink of the promised land after 16 years in the wilderness.

But while we all absolutely adore the Spaniard, it’s worth bearing mind that he is 35, and he can’t keep playing forever.

Perhaps, however, this recent purple patch that he has found himself in could provide a hint as to how best he can hope to elongate his career – especially with a potential Premier League campaign around the corner.

Hernandez has come on as a substitute in each of Leeds’ last five games, and has shone consistently.

So would it be worth Marcelo Bielsa using him almost exclusively as a super sub from this point onwards?

Common sense dictates that it makes more sense for teams to play their best players from the beginning of matches, but Hernandez’s stats are hard to argue with.

Take Sunday’s outing against Swansea as an example.

The playmaker had an xG that of 0.31, 0.12 higher than his season’s average, as per Wyscout.

He also had a shot accuracy rate that was 19.1% better, and completed a higher percentage of his through balls and forward passes.

Based on those numbers, you could certainly argue that Hernandez benefits from coming into a game later on, when he is that little bit fresher than those around him.

And his assist for Liam Cooper against Stoke City was a perfect illustration of exactly that point.

In the image above, Hernandez is just entering the frame from the far side of the box.

Already, he is moving at pace, and seems intent on dictating the exact direction and tempo of the attack.

That is the kind of inspiration and intelligence that you can’t teach, and it’s only aided by the fact that he has been on the pitch for a little over 10 minutes – rather than close to an hour – at this point.

If we move the clip on to the point at which the ball is actually played to Hernandez, we can see not only how much distance he has covered, but also how much space he is in.

Without exaggeration, it’s as if he is playing a different game to everybody else.

And then, of course, the pass itself is just the icing on the cake.

Rather than rushing himself, Hernandez shows the presence of mind and composure to pick out a perfect pull-back, cutting out the entire defence and giving Cooper a free shot at goal.

It’s genius, plain and simple, and when something is working as well as starting the veteran wizard on the bench is, you would have to ask whether it’s a good idea to meddle with it.

After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

It’s counter-intuitive, but maybe Bielsa should keep on benching Hernandez to really let him shine.

In other Leeds United news, ‘Perfect’, ‘Amazing’ – These Leeds fans thrilled by EFL news ahead of clash v Barnsley