Leeds United left-back Laurens De Bock has left the club to join League One side Sunderland on loan.
The club confirmed the news via their official Twitter account in Monday, and it’s safe to say that some fans don’t appear best pleased by the update.
De Bock joined United on loan from Belgian side Club Brugge in January 2018, but has struggled to establish himself in Marcelo Bielsa’s plans, and has made just the seven appearances for the Yorkshire giants.
The former youth international has joined the Black Cats until the end of the season.
Here are some of the best tweets from supporters below.
https://twitter.com/martyn_ss/status/1168509147769389056?s=20
Gutted, thought he could have made a big difference this season ??
— Right In The Gary Kellys (@RITGK) September 2, 2019
https://twitter.com/CallumNLUFC/status/1168510168805597184?s=20
De Bock never really got into his stride at Elland Road, and it’s probably safe to say that even despite the hyperbolic reactions of some fans, he won’t be mourned for too long.
Based on his fleeting time in the first team, however, it truly is a shame that he wasn’t able to make it in Yorkshire.
During his seven appearances for United, he averaged 3.1 tackles and a massive 5.9 clearances per game, as well as being dribbled past just 0.7 times per game, as per Whoscored.
On the front foot, he wasn’t quite as effective but still managed a respectable 0.9 key passes from left-back, as well as a pass completion rate of just over 75%.
Bielsa out
— Dom Masefield (@itsdommasefield) September 2, 2019
https://twitter.com/joemossss/status/1168509855902121984?s=20
Maybe the Championship was a step too far for him, but there was clearly a decent player in there somewhere, and given more of a chance to prove himself, who’s to say that he couldn’t have kicked on and become a really dependable option for Bielsa’s boys?
At the very least, Sunderland will feel that they have done good business to get a former youth international through the door, even if it is just on a temporary basis.
As for Leeds, Ezgjan Alioski and Barry Douglas will battle for the left-back position this season.
You can understand why Bielsa feels he can manage without the Belgian, especially given how rarely he has featured, but with the potential for injuries in a long and arduous Championship campaign, surely a little bit of extra cover wouldn’t have done any harm?
Oh no that's promotion cancelled guys
— Megan ? (@Megan_lufc) September 2, 2019
https://twitter.com/AdamJones1995/status/1168512655491031047?s=20