Craig Scott

Thu 19 August 2021 18:10, UK

Marcelo Bielsa feels Huddersfield midfielder Lewis O’Brien is the “perfect player” to replace Pablo Hernandez at Leeds United, according to the Daily Star.

Eurosport journalist Dean Jones reported on the Oddschanger Twitter account earlier this week that Leeds are confident of wrapping up a deal for O’Brien, 22, and “it sounds like it’s going to happen”.

While sharing Jones’ report, the Daily Star added on their website that as Hernandez’s exit left a “huge void” in the Leeds midfield, Bielsa feels that O’Brien is the right man to fill it.

Perfect? Really?

We don’t usually question Bielsa – but comparing O’Brien and Hernandez is like comparing chalk and cheese.

O’Brien is a central midfielder by trade and in his 83 senior appearances for Huddersfield, he’s been directly involved in 13 goals.

Now, that’s not a slight on O’Brien because he’s a central player who isn’t in a team to score goals or get assists on a regular basis.

However, Hernandez was in the Leeds team for that.

Hernandez was a Spain international with years of experience playing in the Premier League and La Liga.

He also scored 36 goals and supplied 41 assists in his 175 appearances for the Whites before leaving last season.

And until his final couple of years at Elland Road, he was widely seen as a winger or an attacking midfielder – not a central player like O’Brien.

O’Brien and Hernandez are two players with different skillsets, different levels of experience and different strengths and weaknesses.

We really don’t like questioning Bielsa but if this is true, the Argentine is surely wrong to think this.

In other Leeds United news, this club will be dealt a “huge blow” if Leeds manage to sign their star forward after an update by Phil Hay.