OPINION
Leeds United winger Jack Harrison is a player who has largely blown hot and cold this season.
The 22-year-old was at the receiving end of criticism at the start of the season and many fans were calling for him to be sent straight back to Manchester City after his loan spell finishes.
He upped his game at times through the season but reverted to the mean in the 2-0 defeat to Brentford on Monday.
However, some of the criticism of him has been unfair and he’s not been the only player who’s played badly in the past few weeks.
BBC pundit Noel Whelan singled him out for his role in the Whites’ recent demise in the last couple of games, accusing him of not being a “battler” compared to some of his teammates.
“There are very few battlers in the team, Liam Cooper is one, but I don’t see too many others,” Whelan told Football Insider. “Harrison probably sums it up the best.
“He can be a real threat on the wing when Leeds are playing well. He’s had some really good games and scored a few crucial goals. But he’s just a bit soft, and he’s not the only one in that team. You need to be tenacious and to battle in the Championship sometimes. You can’t just play brilliant football all the time.”
The pundit said he is a “bit soft”, and that is something that will surely leave the loanee fuming. He is not the sole culprit of Leeds’ worrying form.
To say that he is the player who “sums it up the best” is rather unfair considering how poor the entire team has been recently. Whelan should be pointing the blame at everyone, not singling out individual players.
The mainstay – who has made 35 appearances in the league this season – has been poor, that is obvious, but there is no way that he should be the only one that is slammed.