Pontus Jansson has opened up on his relationship with Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa after it was reported that the two didn’t get on.
A report from from Football Insider claimed Jansson’s future was “up in the air” after a bust-up and that the two had never enjoyed a good relationship.
In an interview with Swedish outlet Aftonbladet Jansson admitted that life under Bielsa was “tough” but said he had developed massively as a player under the maverick manager.
“I have had a fantastic development during Bielsa and I know how much he cares about me,” said Jansson. “So as I developed as a player, as a person and how I train, sleep and eat … there has been a tremendous development and everything is more or less thanks to him.
“Sure, it has been tough and many long exercises. But one must take that for what he has done with our team has been absolutely fantastic.”
OPINION
There are always rumours flying around about Jansson and every summer is supposedly his last. These rumours of a bust-up with Bielsa seem wide of the mark though and the talismanic centre-back has plenty of good to say about Bielsa. We have no doubt that Bielsa isn’t the most touchy-feely of managers and that he views his players as tools that he uses to get his desired results. Social interaction isn’t a strong point for Bielsa but he does get results on the pitch. Jansson is a very good centre-back but even he claims that he has imporved massively under Bielsa and he made special mention of the training, diet and sleep patterns that Bielsa has introduced as part of his meticulous regime. Jansson admits that this has been “tough” but we’re sure that every Leeds player feels the same. And it’s not going to get any easier if he stays, with news that Bielsa has asked for a 1km running track to be built as part of his demands for staying for another year.