20-year-old centre-back Pascal Struijk is set to be fast-tracked into the Leeds first-team this season, according to Football Insider.
They claim that the towering 6ft 3in defender has made a ‘huge impression’ on manager Marcelo Bielsa in the Under-23s.
Struijk, who signed from Ajax in January 2018, hasn’t made a first-team appearance yet, but signed a new long-term contract this week.
He has made the bench four times, once under Bielsa this season in the 3-0 win against Stoke. He was also on the bench for both legs of the play-off semi-final against Derby last season.
Now he is targetting his senior debut, with Bielsa seeing him as back-up to Ben White, Liam Cooper and Gaetano Berardi.
Bielsa confidence in Struijk solves Leeds problem
Leeds struggled in the centre-back position last season, with injuries meaning midfield maestro Kalvin Phillips was drafted back to cover multiple times.
Pontus Jansson and Aapo Halme left over the summer, with Ben White arriving on loan, but it was a surprise that Leeds left themselves potentially shorter than last season.
Bielsa’s confidence in Struijk would explain Leeds’ decision not to recruit further in the summer.
White has been a standout for Leeds and he’s built up a brilliant partnership with Liam Cooper.
The Brighton loanee has an average rating of 7.41 in the Championship this season and was man-of-the-match against Swansea, despite Leeds losing. [WhoScored]
Cooper has put in consistent shifts as well, with an average rating of 7.14. [WhoScored]
Struijk has impressed in the Under-23s and his performances for Carlos Corberan’s side saw him linked with Hungarian side MOL Vidi over the summer [Nemzeti Sport] but it seems that Bielsa has plans for him this season.
At 6ft 3in, he’s a towering presence and he’s shining in the Under-23s this season, with four clean sheets and two goals from five games.
With Berardi a more-than-capable stand-in as well, Leeds look much stronger in the centre of defence than they did this time last year.