Phil Hay has been speaking on The Athletic’s Leeds United podcast about how highly Marcelo Bielsa rates Adam Forshaw.
It will have been an emotional day on Sunday for Forshaw as he put a lot of injuries behind him to finally make his Premier League debut for Leeds United in which he helped the side pick up a valuable 1-1 draw against Leicester City and he put 89 minutes into his tank.
Is Forshaw good enough to start for Leeds?
Yes!
No!
Forshaw was signed from Middlesbrough back in 2019 for £5 million and he has never been able to get going at Elland Road due to several different injuries which has seen him miss over two years worth of football, but Bielsa evidently has a lot of faith in the 30-year old.
Hay has revealed what Bielsa really thinks of Forshaw and the quality he possesses.
(37:10) “You might remember that Bielsa was talking about him a little while back just before the end of the transfer window and said, Adam Forshaw at his best is a player that we couldn’t actually afford, at the moment, at his best, he’d be worth more money than we have to spend.
“People told me that privately Bielsa thinks that Forshaw would suit a Champions League side because of the way he plays and because of what he does. The simple passing, he can facilitate gaps in space and allows your most talented players to do their thing and he genuinely feels that he could be at that level.”
TIF Thoughts on Forshaw…
It was an impressive and dominant display from Forshaw against the Foxes and he showed no signs of weakness and almost as he’d never been away, wanting the ball and doing a lot with it. The midfielder carried the ball 41 times which was the third most out of anyone on the pitch so he was clearly not shying away from showing what he’s capable of if anyone had forgotten.
Earlier this season, Forshaw picked up an injury and that may have made some Leeds fans think that he was just never going to cut it at Elland Road anymore, but the midfielder has proved that with a lot of work and dedication he can be the man they need and thus, save the club a lot of money in buying another central midfielder.
In other news: ‘The perfect Leeds United signing’ – Bielsa urged to move for 26 y/o who can ‘replicate’ Saiz