Monk: These are three reasons why Leeds needed to sign up £15,000-a-week player
By Alex Stevens
Garry Monk has shared the three reasons why Rob Green has been rewarded with a new Leeds contract that will keep him at the club until he is 38.
The Championship promotion hopefuls announced on their official website on Saturday evening that the veteran goalkeeper has signed a 12-month extension to his current deal, which was due to expire in the summer.
Monk signed Green on an initial year-long contract after his departure from QPR last summer but the agreement included the guarantee of an additional season at Elland Road if Green reached a set number of appearances for the club.
He hit the appearance target last month and has played every minute of the club’s impressive 38-match Championship campaign to date, including Saturday’s notable 2-0 win against second-placed Brighton.
Manager Monk delivered a ringing endorsement of the one-time England international, who, the Daily Star claim has a £15,000-a-week salary that makes him the team’s fourth best paid player.
“We’re delighted for him and he deserves that,” said Monk to the Yorkshire Evening Post. “I brought him in number one because he’s a good goalkeeper but number two, he has that experience and number three, he’s a top professional.
“All those ingredients were going to help the group and it’s shown. It’s shown in his performances. If you ask anyone, he lends his experience from within the changing room and he deserves the praise he’s getting right now. But he’s as sure as anyone that there’s a lot of work still to do. We have to be focused on the games coming up.”
Green kept his 14th clean sheet of the campaign on Saturday and was hailed by former Elland Road striker Noel Whelan as one of the two outstanding players in the Leeds team that caused an upset.
Former Norwich, West Ham and QPR keeper Green has won over the Leeds fans who almost universally panned him in the early months of the campaign following his arrival on a free transfer.
Leeds go into the international break fourth in the Championship and well placed to secured a place in the end-of-season play-offs.
In other Leeds transfer news, the Yorkshire giants are in shock talks to sign a Liverpool attacking player.
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