Don Goodman drooled over Ezgjan Alioski for his performance in Leeds United’s 1-0 Championship defeat to Sheffield United on Saturday.
The Macedonia international played the full 90 minutes of the tightly-fought Yorkshire derby, which was decided by a second-half Chris Basham goal.
Alioski played at left-back for the opening 57 minutes until the introduction of Barry Douglas led to Marcelo Bielsa pushing him into an attacking role on the flank.
“Absolutely brilliant. I’ve been so impressed with him,” Goodman told Sky Sports’ main event channel on Saturday after 50 minutes. “The left-back position is not something that comes naturally to him, but he has excellent energy and application.”
OPINION
Leeds might have lacked a clinical edge in and around the penalty box but much of their play was extremely impressive on an afternoon when they were unfortunate to be defeated. Alioski was central to their dominance of possession, defending stoutly and looking a big threat on the overlap. He had a couple of decent chances to break the deadlock in the opening period, but his finishes were a bit woolly or quickly blocked by the well-drilled Sheffield United defence. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old’s energy and application was hugely impressive, while his durability is also worth a mention. Alioski has started all 38 of Leeds’ league matches this season, a remarkable achievement in a team that places such physical demands on the players. That won’t temper his disappointment this evening, but the 2018 signing has proved beyond doubt he is a man for all seasons.