Leeds United

Leeds pundit insists striker has to succeed this season

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Leeds United pundit Joe Wainman insists that striker Rodrigo faces a make-or-break season at the club.

The 30-year-old moved to the club for a big fee last summer, as Leeds paid a record £26m to secure his signature, and is thought to be on £57,000 a week.

He has somewhat struggled for goals under the management of Marcelo Bielsa, though, and also battled injury issues last term.

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In total, Rodrigo made 26 appearances in the Premier League and scored seven goals, including a run of form that saw him score four times in the final four games of the season.

Wainman believes that he has no excuses this season after completing a full pre-season under Bielsa, and thinks this is the time for him to shine.

He said: “It’s huge for him. This is it now. He’s had a full pre-season under Bielsa, it’s got to work.

“I look at maybe the signing of Rodrigo, and maybe it was too good of an option for Leeds United to turn down at the time, he was Spain’s number nine, he was available at a cut-down price, it was like, yeah, we’ll take this guy.”

Rodrigo has a history of scoring goals at the top level and netted 59 times in 220 appearances for Valencia, while also scoring 45 goals in 119 outings for Benfica.

He has also won 25 caps for Spain, scoring eight times.

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