Phil Hay believes that soon-to-be Leeds United player Marc Roca has to improve his physicality immediately.
After a pretty scary campaign last term that saw Leeds only secure their Premier League status on the final day of the season, they are wasting no time bolstering up their squad by bringing in RB Salzburg duo Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen.
Despite the transfer window having only opened last Friday, Leeds are still looking to be very busy, and confirmed the arrival of Roca on Friday on a four-year deal.
While fans will likely be excited by this third signing, Hay identified his physicality as something that needs working on while speaking on The Phil Hay Show.
Can Roca replace Phillips at Leeds?
Yes!
No!
He said: “There is definitely that question mark over what these two years [at Bayern] have done to him. He’s probably played slightly more than people realise across the range of competitions that Bayern are in, but in terms of league matches, I mean, he’s been nothing like ever-present or nothing close to it.
“So this is very much a fresh start for him. I think physically, he will have to adapt to the Premier League. From what I’ve seen of him and from what people say about him, I think technically, he should be up to it, but clearly, the proof will be in the pudding.”
TIF Thoughts on Roca moving to Leeds…
Since joining Bayern Munich in 2020, Roca has only been able to rack up 24 appearances across all competitions, so it certainly appears that he isn’t that elite-level midfielder, but after narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Leeds maybe just need extra bodies instead of top-level quality.
However, if Roca isn’t going to be that top-level player for Leeds, they will surely need more recruits – particularly if Kalvin Phillips ends up leaving in the summer, although Roca could be the start of a new midfield blossoming at Elland Road.