Adam Forshaw has claimed that Leeds United are not missing Samuel Saiz after the Spanish playmaker quit Elland Road to join Getafe.
Saiz has joined the La Liga side on an initial loan deal which will be made permanent in the summer, and the Whites have won three and lost one of their games since his departure was announced.
Forshaw, who joined Leeds for £4.5million [BBC] last January, has rubbished the idea that Saiz’s exit has had any sort of impact on the team’s results.
“To be honest, I don’t think we’ve missed him so far since he left,” Forshaw said, as quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post. “We’ve won three games since we announced he was leaving and that’s my personal view.
“I think everyone in the squad buys into what we’re doing and works really hard for the team. It’s not about any individuals, I’ll be honest. I don’t really know what to say to that.
“He’s a good player but we’re a team and we all work together. That’s that really.”
OPINION
Saiz was hardly getting into the Leeds starting line-up before he left Elland Road, so it’s not like him leaving has had a major impact on the club’s form. Even if he was still on board, would he have been starting games? Probably not. Leeds won their first three games without Saiz and then suffered a 2-0 defeat to Hull on Saturday. They had won seven games in a row before losing the all-Yorkshire showdown and that was mainly a case of that fact that the festive period took it’s toll on Marcelo Bielsa’s men rather than there being a lack of quality. United still look good for promotion this season, even without Saiz. The Spaniard is a good player and was a good player for the Yorkshire giants, but he is replaceable. Pablo Hernandez is already doing his job in the centre of the midfield and Bielsa could have a look at signing a new midfielder in January now that the window is open.