Leeds have ‘one of best youngsters’ in England after ‘magnificent’ Struijk footage emerges – pundit
Pascal Struijk is showing “magnificent” potential at Leeds United and could develop into “a top Premier League centre-half”, according to Kevin Campbell.
The former Arsenal and Everton striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, said the 22-year-old “shut up” Michail Antonio in the Whites’ 3-2 win over West Ham on Sunday.
As shown by footage from club media (18 January), Struijk starred on his return from a hip injury at the London Stadium.
The centre-half made more tackles, ball recoveries and blocks than other player on Sunday. [LUFCDATA]
As quoted by Leeds Live after the win (16 January), Marcelo Bielsa heaped praise on Struijk’s ability to get back to his best quickly after injury.
When asked by Football Insider‘s Dylan Childs for his assessment of Struijk’s development, Campbell said:
“Struijk is one of the best youngsters in the Premier League.
“He has struggled with injuries a bit but when he plays he’s magnificent.
“Has he got the talent to be a top Premier League centre-half? Yes, I think he has. But, I don’t think we’ve seen enough of him yet so I don’t want to put pressure on him.
“He shut Antonio up at the weekend but we need to see more of it. He played really well against West Ham. You can see how talented he is both defensively and on the ball.
“If Leeds are going to start moving up the league they need to defend better and keeping Struijk fit will help them do that.”
In other news, Phillips has claimed Leeds United could seal ‘huge’ Raphinha deal after ‘amazing’ talks confirmed.