Journalist James Marshment has been left in awe of Leeds United’s Tyler Adams for his performances at the World Cup.
The USA captain has been an ever-present for his country in Qatar and was left visibly emotional as he and his teammates secured their passage to the round of 16 on Tuesday night.
The £57k-per-week dynamo arrived at Elland Road in the summer and has emerged as a mainstay in the Whites midfield.
Adams started 13 of Leeds’ first 14 Premier League games prior to the mid-season break and has been at his combative best at the World Cup, helping his nation to a much-needed three points over Iran.
Retweeting a post from the Premier League asking which top-flight player has most impressed at the tournament, Marshment said: ‘Tyler Adams – a lion on the pitch; a dignified, intelligent, humble and politically savvy person off it. He’ll go a long way, that lad.’
TIF Thoughts on Marshment’s comments…
Would you like to see Tyler Adams as captain?
Yes!
No!
According to WhoScored, only Christian Pulisic and goalkeeper Matt Turner have performed at a higher level than the Leeds ace in Doha.
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old ranks first in the United States team for tackles per 90 minutes (3.3), joint-top for interceptions (1), and first among midfielders for clearances per game (1.3).
Excelling in aspects befitting of a ‘lion’ on the other side of the ball, he has also impressed by averaging the second-highest number of passes per game with 61.3 and playing the highest number of long balls out of any outfield player in the team (4.3).
Spending £20m on him at this juncture seems like very good business from Jesse Marsch, and while the club shouldn’t be in any immediate danger of losing Adams, he certainly has a bright future that could see him end up at one of Europe’s finest.