Raphinha slammed by Danny Mills after what he ‘keeps hearing’ from Leeds United
Raphinha needs to step up for Leeds United in their relegation battle if he wants to prove he is a “top-class player”, according to Danny Mills.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Whites and England defender claimed Raphinha has not shone in recent weeks.
The 25-year-old has only scored twice and provided two assists this calendar year and his poor form continued as Leeds drew 1-1 with Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday (15 May).
According to sofascore, Raphinha won just half of his 10 duels, lost possession a whopping 21 times and missed a big chance.
“I keep hearing that he’s a top-class player,” Mills told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“He’s got to start doing it and it’s games like these where you have to step up.
“I was in a Leeds side that went to Arsenal on the penultimate day of the season and we needed to win to stay up, not dissimilar to the position Leeds were in at home to Brighton.
“We went to Arsenal, if they won they were still in the title race. We went there and won because Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka stepped up that day.
“They were top-quality players who maybe hadn’t performed as you’d expect through the season but they turned up that day and were sensational. That’s the sort of performance you need from Raphinha.
“When games are tight you need your star players to shine and I don’t think we’ve really seen it in the past few weeks.”
Despite his poor recent form, Raphinha is still Leeds’ top scorer in the Premier League with 10 goals.
The Whites are vulnerable to losing the Brazil star this summer as he is set to enter the final two years of his contract.
In other news, a Leeds United employee has made a ‘gutting’ dressing room claim after a ‘terrible’ development.