Many Leeds United supporters have flocked to Twitter in order to heap praise on the club’s Dutch defender Pascal Struijk.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side took another huge step towards sealing promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since they were relegated in 2004. The Whites protected a slender lead they were gifted by Barnsley when Michael Sollbauer scored an own goal on 28 minutes. The visitors had 12 attempts on Illan Meslier’s goal, six more than the hosts managed (as per BBC Sport), but fortunately for Leeds, they were able to hold on for all three points.
Struijk was introduced just after the hour mark, replacing Jack Harrison, and it appears that this sample of the Elland Road faithful were pleased with what they saw from the 20-year-old.
Strujik was probably man of the match #lufc
— thomas banks (@ThomasBanks1985) July 16, 2020
Strujik really impressed
— Mark viduka’s Big toe (@JamesBi75205507) July 16, 2020
According to WhoScored.com, Struijk’s performance earned him a rating of 6.85/10 but according to some of these supporters, he was the man of the match.
Build a statue of Strujik imo
— ?????? (@LUFCjamiie) July 16, 2020
Strujik was actually class tbf
— Rainy (@JtotheRain) July 16, 2020
on another note, Pascal Struijk looked much better than Ben White at DMC #LUFC
— David J. Lowe (@SonicAngel2010) July 16, 2020
Pascal Struijk is #Leeds Van Dijk. There’s a chant there somewhere #LUFC #MOT #ALAW
— PaulLawts (@lawts_paul) July 16, 2020
Tell you who’s a baller. Young Struijk. Not the sub I’d have chosen but he was calm, decisive, and a unit. #LUFC
— The Chris Knowles (@TheChrisKnowles) July 16, 2020
Would you like to see more of Pascal Struijk in a Leeds shirt?
Yes
No
That was just Struijk’s third appearance in the Championship and it is clear in the eyes of these fans that he played a vital role in Leeds securing a vital three points. The player arrived at Elland Road back in 2018 from Ajax’s Under-19s and he appears to have repaid the faith shown in him by Marcelo Bielsa.