Another Leeds player has confirmed his departure from Elland Road, with an emotional post on Twitter.
22-year-old Hugo Diaz said, “The end of this fantastic chapter of my life has arrived” and went on to say it had been an “honour to be part of this club”.
He said, “I tried my best every day, defending the badge with total commitment” and signed off with the club’s Marching On Together.
The exit of Diaz follows the permanent departure of Paudie O’Connor to Bradford on a three-year deal.
Diaz made his statement on Twitter on Thursday afternoon.
Thank you @LUFC #MOT pic.twitter.com/RORow5pEal
— Hugo Díaz Rodríguez (@hugodiazrg) June 20, 2019
Shortly after his tweet, some of his Leeds teammates responded, with Luke Ayling, Ryan Edmondson and Liam Cooper paying their respects to the Spanish centre-back.
All the best to you mate. ?? https://t.co/OR6jbtJlmK
— Luke Ayling (@lukeayling_8) June 20, 2019
Been an absolute pleasure Hugo! Good luck to you and your future???? https://t.co/mxFGCezohu
— Ryan Edmondson (@Ryan_edmondson9) June 20, 2019
All the best mate! ?? https://t.co/IiSbLKNL04
— Liam Cooper (@LiamCooper__) June 20, 2019
TIF Verdict
That’s what you call a heartfelt message and it seems that it’s a real wrench for Diaz to leave. He arrived on a free transfer from Silva SD two years ago and still had one year left on his contract. However, at 22-years-old, he’s no spring chicken and he’s a way off regular first-team football. He did get to play for the Leeds first-team once. He came on in the 3-1 defeat to Preston in April 2018 after Pontus Jansson was injured, but Paudie O’Connor started that game and he’s moved on this week too. Diaz hasn’t featured under Bielsa but was a valuable member of the Under-23s side under Carlos Corberan, who enjoyed what Diaz called an “unforgettable season”. He made 29 appearances for the Under-23s, helping them to the PDL national title and a semi-final place in the Premier League Cup. Unfortunately, that was enough to convince Bielsa to give him a crack at the first-team squad next season and it seems that Leeds are clearing the books of players who won’t make the grade. Leeds fans will be hoping that means incomings will be arriving soon.