Neil Champney

Thu 11 June 2020 11:33, UK

Few players have been as iconic for Leeds United in recent years as Pablo Hernandez. 

The Spaniard has hit 33 goals and 36 assists in 150 outings for the Whites, and is very much part of the furniture at Elland Road.

But at the age of 35, it’s hard not to worry about how much longer he can continue to perform at the level we have grown accustomed to.

Those fears are only compounded by the potential for a run in the Premier League next season, where the heightened pace and increased quality can spell trouble for some players making the step up – even those in the prime of their careers.

With that in mind, can Hernandez still be the creative force that he has in the second tier if and when we make the transition to the top flight?

The comparisons between him and a similar case study certainly bode well for his chances.

Emiliano Buendia was arguably Norwich City’s most important creative talent in the Championship.

His eight goals and 12 assists in were instrumental to the Canaries going up automatically last term, and the fact that he has hit seven assists in the Premier League – even with his side languishing at the bottom of the table – would suggest that he has made the individual leap to the big time with relative ease.

But if we compare his stats from last term to Hernandez’s from this, we actually see that the Leeds man is the more effective player – despite being 12 years older.

Hernandez has a higher percentage of successful dribbles, a higher percentage of accurate crosses, more shots per game, a higher xG, and a higher total action success rate too, as per Wyscout.

Against Huddersfield Town back in March, Hernandez completed five out of his six attempted dribbles.

The most eye-catching thing, however, is not the 83% completion rate, but rather the advance position at which Hernandez is operating.

This is still a player who is pulling the strings in the most lethal areas of the pitch, driving into the box, making defenders back-pedal, and trying to create openings for himself and his teammates.

Take for example, the case above.

Hernandez picks up the ball in a dangerous position, but is still very much outnumbered by blue shirts.

Unfazed, he gets his head up, and immediately looks at the best and most direct route to goal.

In this instance, it happens to be through the defender’s legs, and he makes an absolute mug of his marker in an incredibly dangerous area where he knows he can’t be fouled for fear of giving away a penalty.

Admittedly, the shot afterwards is blocked, but this is still wonderful play from Hernandez.

Similarly, in the example above, the Spaniard is confronted by three Town players, and looks for all the world as if he doesn’t have chance of making anything of the situation.

But again, his wiliness comes into play, and the makes a fool of his man by cutting inside with breakneck agility, leaving his marker sprawled out on the turf.

The best part about all of this, however, is the awareness he then shows to cut pass back to the edge of the box to pick out the third man run of his teammate.

Again, the shot is blocked, but on another day, that could have quite easily ended up in the back of the net.

Bearing all of that in mind, Hernandez is definitely still a force to be reckoned with, despite his age.

He is as integral to Leeds now as he was a last year or the year before, and if Buendia can make the step up, there is absolutely no doubt that he can too.

In other Leeds United news, Adam Forshaw names Leeds United first teamer he had ‘never heard’ of before 19/20.