MOT View: Striker loaned out by Leeds in January is in deadlier form than Bamford
Rafa Mujica may have struggled while on loan at Extremadura in the first half of the season but since his January switch to Villarreal, the Leeds United striker has been on fire.
The 21-year-old endured a miserable spell in the Segunda Division with Extremadura as he made just eight appearances in all competitions and failed to score a single goal.
El Periodico Extremadura reported in January, after his final appearance with the second-tier Spanish club, that Mujica left the stadium in tears due to missing an easy chance to score in a 2-1 defeat against Almeria.
Mujica’s struggles at Extremadura led to his loan deal there being terminated early but luckily, he did not have to wait long to find a new temporary home as Villarreal struck a deal with Leeds to sign the young striker for the rest of the campaign.
Mujica has since been on fire for Villarreal’s B team, who play in Segunda Division B, the third-tier of Spanish football.
While he has taken a step down in terms of the Spanish league ladder, the chance to train at the facilities that Villarreal have and be work with their coaches means that, if anything, the Leeds youngster had a bit of a forward step in his overall development.
He’s certainly started to show that on the pitch anyway.
Mujica has made four appearances for Villarreal B.
The ex-Barcelona academy product failed to score on his debut when he came off the bench against Orihuela for the last 26 minutes, but he has now netted in three consecutive fixtures.
Mujica scored in wins against each of Llagostera, Barcelona B and FC Andorra.
While he is in the third-tier of Spanish football and the quality is not exactly similar to the Championship, it’s fair to say that Mujica is in much better form than Patrick Bamford is right now, with the Leeds star scoring in just one of his last nine outings.
In other Leeds United news, Marcelo Bielsa made a tactical tweak due to this out-of-sorts player against Bristol City.