Leeds United

Leeds United: Phil Hay reveals behind-scenes Rodrigo claim

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Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch has been left impressed by forward Rodrigo for trying to lift the squad’s spirits in recent weeks. 

That is according to reliable Leeds correspondent Phil Hay who was writing about what Marsch has made of his inherited squad in the early stages of his spell in Yorkshire.

Does Rodrigo have a future with Leeds?

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Yes

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And it is reportedly the Spanish forward who has impressed Marsch for his attempt to get the side together and lift the spirits at his birthday party following Marcelo Bielsa’s sacking.

Marsch’s tenure at Leeds finally got off the ground on the weekend as the Whites ended their torrid run of games with a 2-1 win over their relegation rivals, Norwich City.

And the Spaniard, who is valued at £13.5 million (as per Transfermarkt), had a huge role to play on the pitch on Sunday with the opening goal and Hay spoke of his influence off the pitch, too:

“He had noticed that, in the week after Bielsa’s dismissal, Rodrigo made the effort to invite the entire squad out for his 31st birthday to the Flying Pizza restaurant in the city’s Roundhay district,” Hay wrote for The Athletic.

“It was not a celebration of Bielsa’s departure but it did provide an opportunity for the players to get together in more relaxed circumstances away from the training ground, a slight release after a difficult weekend.

“Everyone was expected to attend and no exceptions were made. Marsch wants Rodrigo to lead like that more often.”

He also stated how important Rodrigo now is:

“I told him how important he is and how he has to be a big part of the solution moving forward. We talked a lot about what my vision is for him and what my vision is for the team.”

TIF Thoughts on Hay’s comments…

It’s good to see that Rodrigo has already made a good impact on Jesse Marsch with his latest Pizza party organisation clearly impressing the Leeds boss as he wants him to do more of that kind of thing when it comes to leadership. He clearly sees him as a valuable member of the squad having given him more of a leadership role.

Perhaps this may come as a surprise to some Leeds fans given the Spaniard has not exactly found his feet in England since making the move from Spain back in 2020.

However, at 31-years-old, the Spaniard is one of the senior figures in the squad who has a lot of experience in playing across some of Europe’s biggest leagues.

And given the way Leeds’ season has gone this season, they could do with every bit of possible lift they can get within the squad as their Premier League status is on the line.

In other news: ‘Went berserk’ – Journalist reveals Leeds star absolutely furious with teammate

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