Lots of Leeds United fans have flocked to a tweet from The Athletic’s Whites reporter Phil Hay which shared comments that Marcelo Bielsa has recently made over the out-of-favour Pablo Hernandez.
This comes after it was claimed that a rift emerged between Bielsa and Hernandez earlier this season.
As a result, it could be a reason to why the 35-year-old Spaniard has only started just two Premier League games this term despite being a key man for the Yorkshire club in the Championship last season, helping them towards the league title with nine goals and nine assists in 36 appearances, via WhoScored.
As per Hay, however, Bielsa has suggested that Hernandez is very still part of his plans and has as much of a chance as any Whites player of featuring in a prominent role for the Yorkshire club in their upcoming fixtures.
He said:
“If I didn’t think he had the same possibility here as his team-mates, I wouldn’t have wanted him to be part of the group. As the season goes by and game by game, I take decisions.”
So, how have these Leeds United fans been reacting to Bielsa’s claim?
Some Leeds fans reacted positively to the manager’s comments and took them to mean that the alleged rift between Bielsa and Hernandez is not quite as significant as had been claimed, while others took this opportunity to heap praise on the attacking midfielder.
“Sounds like good news maybe he will stay”
“So their was no rift after all”
“El Mago has a part to play yet! Man is a legend”
“Good to hear. Puts my theory to bed.”
Should Hernandez play more often?
YES
NO
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep pabs for future management roles within. Love that guy, pure legend. M O T A L A W”
“To me Pablo is the hero who got us promoted. I love him. He’s my hero. El Mago. Pablo the magician”
“Pablo may be 36 but he is perhaps getting better with age. He has experience combined with ability he can still make a difference especially in the 2nd half. When he has to retire I’d expect it will be because of injuries, whilst he’s still fit we should make the most of him.”
So, it’s clear from these Whites fans’ tweets that Hernandez is still very highly valued by many members of the Elland Road faithful.
Perhaps the veteran Spanish magician still has a massive part to play in Leeds’ first attempt at the big time – only time will tell.